Stumps on Day 2: Sri Lanka 484 all out (152.3 overs) (Dimuth Karunaratne 186, Dinesh Chandimal 151, Angelo Mathews 48, Devendra Bishoo 4 for 143)
West Indies 66/2 (21 overs) (Shai Hope 23, Kraigg Brathwaite 19, Darren Bravo 15*, Rangana Herath 2 for 14)
The hosts stamped their authority during the Day 2 proceedings at Galle, concluding another taxing day for the West Indies.
Resuming from their overnight score of 250/2, the pair at the crease Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal began to mount the innings to a commanding position. Early wickets were required from the Windies but despite tight bowling, the pair seemed unruffled displaying composure and fluent stroke-play.
Karunaratne’s 150 and an eventual personal best was followed by Dinesh Chandimal’s impressive ton. Forlorn bowling further toiled with sloppy fielding while the duo exploited the situation to sustain their ascent. However moments before lunch, the staggering 238-run stand was finally broken as Karunaratne departed for a brilliant 186. His return catch to Marlon Samuels ended a session which was almost wicketless for the visitors.
After lunch, Angelo Mathews and Chandimal piled up the agony with a more aggressive approach to the game. Adding insult to injury, heedlessness on the field continued with a fourth dolly and this time, Mathews was dropped on 12 by Holder at slip. Chandimal, who scored his fifth Test century and third in Galle, regulated his way to an excellent 150 with 18 boundaries which included 2 maximums. The pair annexed 86 runs in 20 overs before Jerome Taylor struck twice for West Indies, sending back Chandimal for 151 while debutant Milinda Siriwardana was caught behind by Denesh Ramdin before tea.
In a vital breakthrough, skipper Angelo Mathews was sent back to the pavilion by his counterpart Jason Holder for 48 in the opening delivery of the final session. Oozing with credence, the West Indies sought to gain a grip in a change of events. Dhammika Perera who was struggling against Holder’s pace, was later subdued by Devendra Bishoo for 13. Bishoo followed with a brace, castling Ranaga Herath for a duck. Kusal Perera attempted to guard Tharindu Kaushal but his effort was foiled when he was played on by Shannon Gabriel for 23 while the last pair added another 9 runs before Sri Lanka were finally bowled out for 484. Considering the onerous position they were in midway through the day, it was a pleasing sight for West Indies to see the last 7 Sri Lankan wickets crumbling for 59.
The visitors initiated a seemingly positive response as the openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope launched their innings but Rangana Herath trapped Brathwaite for 19 before a peach rattled the stumps of Hope for 23. West Indies remained on 66/2 at close of play.
A ostensibly mismatched selection of bowlers for prevailing conditions was evident as the West Indians lacked the firepower and ammunition to turn the tables. In a wicket which favours spin, not including a second specialist spinner would haunt the Windies throughout the course of the Test. Moreover, the absence of concentration nettled the Caribbean party as they suffered with 5 drop catches on the field.
For Sri Lanka, Day 2 resembled the times when the picturesque venue was a test fortress, a stronghold which tormented the visiting teams. Although the recent forms of Sri Lanka has been missing the old zest, reminiscence of the glorious past at Galle added colour to a day of domination.
