Lanka in the third and final Cable and Wireless One-Day International at Arnos Vale here yesterday.

The 22-year-old Samuels showcased his all-round skills as he effected two run-outs, took two spectacular catches and made an attractive 45 not out, studded with three sixes and a four, off 38 balls, to carry the West Indies to a revised winning score of 160 for four in 38.5 overs

Apart from Samuels’ fine display, the West Indies were inspired by incisive and accurate bowling which routed Sri Lanka for an inadequate 191 runs in exactly 50 overs.

Needing to score at 3.84 runs an over to achieve a winning target of 192 runs initially, the West Indies were cruising along at 122 for three off 28 overs, when the first of two rain stoppages left them with a revised target of 186 in 48 overs, or a further 64 runs in 20 overs.

A second shower, which lasted close to half-hour with the West Indies on 150 for four, brought the Duckworth-Lewis method of calculation into the picture again and narrowed the target to such an extent that the West Indies were left with just ten more runs for victory in six overs.

Before the rain stoppages gave the Sri Lankans a temporary respite, Samuels, abandoning his customary flair and flamboyance and opting for power and panache, had sped to 30 off a mere 15 balls, courtesy three huge sixes and a four.

Two of those sixes came in the space of three balls from leg-spinner Upul Chandana, the first clearing the Mike Findlay Stand at midwicket and the second, landing on the roof of the same stand.

In-between, Chaminda Vaas was pushed back to such an extent onto the boundary ropes at deep extra cover in trying to take Samuels’ nonchalant lofted drive that he had to drop the ball in the process, allowing two runs.

When Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu turned to the experienced Sanath Jayasuriya to bowl his left-arm spin, Samuels dispatched the bowler’s second ball over long on for another six.

Samuels had entered the fray with the West Indies’ innings at the crossroads on 81 for three after the loss of Wavell Hinds (19), captain Brian Lara (14) and Chris Gayle, who had laboured 75 balls over his 21 runs.

Together with Ramnaresh Sarwan, who made 25, the pair ensured the West Indies were always ahead of the required run rate and par score to tie the match, had rain, from the dark clouds which hovered over the ground, prematurely ended play.

Even when Sarwan was bowled, sweeping at Muralitharan, Ricardo Powell came out to join Samuels and before a second shower came just before 5.00 p.m., he hoisted off-spinner Kumar Dharmasena for a massive six between midwicket and long on to post the West Indies’ 150 off 35.5 overs.

At that stage, the West Indies had required another 36 runs off 12 overs with Samuels not out 43 off 35 balls and Powell on 11 off 20 balls.

When play resumed after the half-hour break, the Duckworth-Lewis calculation left the West Indies with a cakewalk and Powell quickly sealed the outcome, leaving Samuels five short of what would have been a well-deserved fifty.

Samuels, however had the distinction of earning not only the Man-of-the-Match award but also the Player-of-the-Series award.

Earlier, seamer Corey Collymore was the most successful bowler with three for 28 off 10 overs as the West Indian bowlers stifled the Sri Lankan top-order batting.

Debutant 18-year-old Jamaican fast bowler Jerome Taylor enjoyed an encouraging start to his international career, capturing two for 39 in 10 pacy overs with his fastest ball being clocked at 92.8 miles per hour.

Off-spinner Ryan Hurley also gave admirable support, taking one for 25 off his ten overs to be the most economical bowler for the West Indies.

Middle order batsman Mahela Jayawardene top-scored for Sri Lanka with a solid 51 off 74 balls but did not hit a boundary in his knock.

Jayawardene added 67 runs for the fifth wicket with second match hero Upul Chandana, who hit a fighting 33 off 65 balls to follow his match-winning 89 on Sunday in Barbados which had given Sri Lanka their unbeaten 2-0 series cushion.

Sri Lanka’s batting display was in stark contrast to Sunday when they scored 313 for six to overtake the West Indies’ imposing total of 312 for four, but almost followed the same script as the opening match when they folded for 201.

Sent in to bat, Sri Lanka made a disastrous start losing openers Jayasuriya (8) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (14) with only 28 runs on the board.

Jayasuriya, after cover-driving the third ball of the innings from Darren Powell for six, was run-out in the third over by Samuels, who hurled down the stumps at the bowler’s end from mid-off as the batsman attempted a tight single.

Kaluwitharana followed in the eighth over when he miscued a pull shot off Collymore and skied a catch behind the wicketkeeper for Brian Lara to take, running back from first slip.

Kumar Sangakkara was next to go for 11, caught by Lara off Hurley while Taylor captured his maiden One-Day wicket when he removed Atapattu for 25, courtesy a diving catch by Hurley at mid-off.

Sri Lanka were then 63 for four but Chandana and Jayawardene brought a measure of respectability to the total with their half-century partnership even though not a single boundary was struck between the 20th and 35th over.

Taylor, who bowled impressively in his first match at this level, returned for a second spell and trapped Chandana leg-before-wicket while Tillekeratne Dilshan followed, four runs later, when he was caught and bowled by Samuels without scoring.

Samuels was back in action again, bringing off a breathtaking catch at short midwicket, leaping in the air to make a one-handed take, to account for Kumar Dharmasena, who made a breezy 21 off 20 balls.

Jayawardene, after posting his fifty off 69 balls, failed to benefit from a reprieve when he was bowled by a no-ball from Gayle as he attempted a reverse sweep.

In the next over, Collymore deceived him with a slow full toss that crashed into his stumps to leave Sri Lanka on 184 for eight.

Samuels’ fine work in the field was again in evidence when he darted in off the midwicket boundary and after making a one-handed pick-up, hit the stumps at the bowler’s end to run-out Vaas for six as he came back for a second run.

Gayle then wrapped up the innings, bowling Muralitharan for four.

SRI LANKA innings
S.Jayasuriya run-out 8

R.Kaluwitharana c Lara b Collymore 14

M.Atapattu c Hurley b Taylor 25

K.Sangakkara c Lara b Hurley 11

U.Chandana lbw b Taylor 33

M.Jayawardene b Collymore 51

T.Dilshan c & b Samuels 0

K.Dharmasena c Samuels b Collymore 21

C.Vaas run-out 6

M.Muralitharan b Gayle 4

D.Gamage not out 2

Extras: (lb-4, w-11, nb-1) 16

Total: (all out, 50 overs) 191

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-28, 3-55, 4-63, 5-130, 6-134, 7-176, 8-184, 9-185.

Bowling: D.Powell 9-0-37-0 (w-3), Collymore 10-0-28-3 (w-1), Hurley 10-1-25-1, Taylor 10-0-39-2 (w-3), Gayle 6-0-29-1 (nb-1, w-1), Samuels 5-0-29-1.

WEST INDIES innings
C.Gayle b Chandana 21

W.Hinds c Dilshan b Vaas 19

B.Lara c Gamage b Dharmasena 14

R.Sarwan c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan 25

M.Samuels not out 45

R.Powell not out 16

Extras: (lb-4, w-10, nb-6) 20

Total: (4 wickets, 38.5 overs) 160

Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-54, 3-81, 4-126.