West Indies finally produced a good performance during the current tour to Ceylon when they took major honours on day one in the second Sobers-Tissera Test match against Sri Lanka at P. Sara Oval on Thursday.
There are no images in this gallery.
Slow left-arm spinner, Jomel Warrican and seam trio of Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach & Jason Holder excelled with the ball for the visitors as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 200 despite Milinda Siriwardana’s fighting 68.
The men from Caribbean Islands were 17 for 1 in reply when bad light brought the proceedings to a close even though almost 16 overs were lost today. Dhammika Prasad picked up the wicket when he trapped Shai Hope plumb in front in his first over.
Earlier, Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to bat first. Taylor imposed the first wound by striking in the fourth ball of the morning to dismiss struggling opener, Kaushal Silva, caught behind for a duck, after the tourists successfully reviewed the not out decision of the umpires.
Last match’s centurion, Dimuth Karunaratne (13) was next to go in the 10th over after Holder trapped him LBW with an angled delivery from around the wicket, which the left-hander failed to overturn after asking for a review.
Debutant Kusal Mendis (13) followed three balls later after another successful review by the West Indies, leaving the hosts teetering on 34 for 3. The 20-year-old batsman, starting ahead of out-of-form Lahiru Thirimanne, wafted at a delivery from Kemar Roach to go for 13.
Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews (14) then fell just before the lunch break when he edged a Holder delivery to Kraigg Brathwaite at second slip, which again required television replays before a decision was ratified.
Milinda Siriwardana joined Dinesh Chandimal at the crease and saw off the final three balls of the session without scoring to leave the hosts on 54 for 4 at lunch.
The 5th-wicket pair batted with caution in the start of the second session, with the West Indies restricting both the scoring rate & over rate before Chandimal played a Taylor delivery onto his stumps to depart for 25 leaving the hosts’ wobbling at 90 for 5.
Kusal Janith Perera started off on his usual aggressive mode but he succumbed to the Windies debutant, Jomel Warrican. The wicket-keeper batsman hit a full-toss straight back to the bowler for just 16.
Siriwardana played it late & sensibly on a two-paced surface at P. Sara Oval to bring up his maiden Test half-century. He cut the ball perfectly when it was short and he was not afraid to take the aerial route in front of the stumps when it is necessary.
Dilruwan Perera was stumped by Ramdin off Devendra Bishoo but the newly-appointed vice-captain Rangana Herath batted with utmost responsibility but eventually lost partners. Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep fell inside 3 balls off Jomel Warrican.
Sri Lanka – 200 all out in 66 overs: Milinda Siriwardana 68*, Rangana Herath 26*, Dinesh Chandimal 25, Jomel Warrican 4/67, Jason Holder 2/22, Jerome Taylor 2/50.
West Indies – 17/1 in 5.2 overs: Devendra Bishoo 5*, Dhammika Prasad 1/9.
