A West Indies Men’s cricket team without a number of leading players was always likely to end up second best on their white ball tour of Sri Lanka.

As it turned out, Mr Rovman Powell’s men found pitch conditions in the first of three Twenty20 games much to their liking and won easily by five wickets.

Predictably, pitches for the next two games favoured spinners, and the hosts came good, humbling the visitors in both the second and third T20s to clinch the series 2-1.

West Indies Men should expect that the conditions for three One-Day Internationals set for Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday will again favour Sri Lanka.

West Indian batsmen especially, but also bowlers, should treat these games as opportunities to improve their skill levels and mental attitude when dealing with high-class opposition in hostile conditions.

It’s an entirely different story for West Indies Women, who enter Friday’s semi-final against New Zealand in the 2024 T20 World Cup riding high after a stunning semi-final, six-wicket victory over England — among the big pre-tournament favourites.

Despite taking the cricket world by storm in winning the 2016 T20 World Cup, West Indies Women weren’t seen as credible threats at the start of this tournament.

Their prospects dimmed immeasurably after a tame 10-wicket loss to South Africa in their opening game. But they got better after that, with commanding wins over Scotland and Bangladesh.

And, without injured top batter and former Captain Ms Stefanie Taylor, West Indies Women showed the type of commitment and confidence against England that goes hand in hand with success.

The win was their first over powerful, well-resourced England since 2018 and ended a 13-game losing streak against the English.

Captain and arguably the West Indies most technically-gifted batter, Ms Hayley Matthews, summed up the situation very well in our view.

Said she following triumph over England: “I think a lot of people wrote us off… especially after the start we had against South Africa… It just shows what we can do as a West Indian team. I think a lot of people coming up against us know that if it is one thing we’ve got, it’s a lot of heart and a lot of fight…”

The unheralded Miss Qiana Joseph, who shared a rapid 102-run opening partnership with Ms Matthews and who was described by her captain as “a really dangerous player” with “amazing hand-eye coordination”, undoubtedly represents that “heart” and “fight”.

Also, Ms Matthews, a 26-year-old Barbadian, is the quintessential warrior.

She has battled diabetes since she was first diagnosed at 12 years old. Yet, Ms Matthews — who was also a good-enough javelin thrower to win the gold medal at the Carifta Games in 2015 — has insisted that nothing will stop her from being the best she can be at cricket, the sport she loves most.

That warrior spirit was much in evidence as Ms Matthews, just turned 18 at the time, hit a 45-ball 66 to claim the player of the match award and lead West Indies to their historic triumph over Australia in the 2016 World T20 final.

Whatever happens against New Zealand, Ms Matthews and her team have demonstrated once again the power of not just talent but determination and courage when humans are confronted with extreme adversity.