Gayle hails "mature" Samuels

Marlon Samuels ended his lean trot with a fifty © Getty Images

Buy this photo

Chris Gayle paid tribute to Marlon Samuels after his compatriot helped guide West Indies to a second one-day international series win under his captaincy.

Samuels scored 54 not out, ending a lean trot in Tests and ODIs, in a match-winning partnership of 107 with the dependable Shivnarine Chanderpaul (52 not out), as West Indies chased down a reduced total of 125 from 25 overs to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead over Sri Lanka.

“It was scary to lose three wickets but Chanderpaul and Samuels came to the party and we have to give credit to all the team for the way they played today,” said Gayle.

“He showed a lot of maturity out there today,” Gayle said of his fellow Jamaican.

The hosts had been in deep trouble at 18 for three when Samuels came to the crease.

Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan were all back in the pavilion having perished to the medium-pace of Nuwan Kulasekara (3-28).

But for the second match in a row the Sri Lankans could not find a way through Chanderpaul’s defences, and he raced to a half-century in 40 balls.

Samuels followed suit in the same Kulasekara over, punching the air in delight and embracing his batting partner.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene admitted the Duckworth-Lewis victory target had left his team with an uphill task.

“The only we we could have won was by bowling them out, but we couldn’t get the breakthrough and penetrate their middle order,” he said.