Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva produced a captain’s knock with a superb century to steer his side to a competitive first-innings total on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.
The first Test of the two-match series got underway yesterday (25th June), with West Indies captain Roston Chase winning the toss and electing to bowl first.
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The hosts made an excellent start with the ball, reducing Sri Lanka to 42 for 3 as the visitors struggled against disciplined early bowling.
Experienced batter Dinesh Chandimal then joined forces with his captain to rebuild the innings. The pair added 68 runs for the fourth wicket, helping Sri Lanka recover from the early setbacks. Chandimal played a positive innings of 54 off 67 deliveries, striking eight boundaries before being dismissed after registering his half-century.
Despite losing further wickets, De Silva continued to hold the innings together with a determined display. He found valuable support from Sri Lanka’s No. 7 batter Sonal Dinusha, with the duo putting on a crucial 99-run partnership for the sixth wicket that shifted the momentum back in Sri Lanka’s favour.
Leading from the front, De Silva went on to register his 13th Test century, compiling a magnificent 120 off 168 balls, an innings decorated with 17 boundaries.
Dinusha made an impressive contribution of 43 runs, while Milan Rathnayake added a useful 27 from the lower order to ensure Sri Lanka crossed the 300-run mark. Sri Lanka were eventually bowled out for 308 in their first innings.
With only one over remaining in the day’s play, the West Indies openers safely negotiated the brief period without losing a wicket, closing Day One on 0 for no loss.
Cricket fans can catch all the action from Sri Lanka’s tour of the West Indies LIVE on ThePapare 1 & 1 HD (Dialog TV Channels 62 & 126).
Stumps
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pathum Nissanka | c Amir Jangoo b Kemar Roach | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Nishan Madushka | lbw b Alzarri Joseph | 23 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 85.19 |
| Dinesh Chandimal | b Shamar Joseph | 54 | 67 | 8 | 0 | 80.60 |
| Kamindu Mendis | c John Campbell b Alzarri Joseph | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | c Brandon King b Justin Greaves | 120 | 168 | 17 | 0 | 71.43 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Justin Greaves b Shamar Joseph | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Sonal Dinusha | lbw b Kemar Roach | 43 | 75 | 6 | 0 | 57.33 |
| Milan Rathnayake | b Justin Greaves | 27 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 51.92 |
| Kasun Rajitha | c Kemar Roach b Justin Greaves | 8 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 44.44 |
| Lahiru Kumara | not out | 12 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 85.71 |
| Asitha Fernando | c Alzarri Joseph b Jayden Seales | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 19 (b 4 , lb 5 , nb 4, w 6, pen 0) |
| Total | 308/10 (71.5 Overs, RR: 4.29) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kemar Roach | 12 | 2 | 32 | 2 | 2.67 | |
| Jayden Seales | 15.5 | 2 | 73 | 1 | 4.71 | |
| Alzarri Joseph | 12 | 1 | 60 | 2 | 5.00 | |
| Shamar Joseph | 16 | 1 | 79 | 2 | 4.94 | |
| Justin Greaves | 11 | 1 | 39 | 3 | 3.55 | |
| Roston Chase | 5 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 3.20 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Campbell | not out | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Brandon King | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 0 (b 0 , lb 0 , nb 0, w 0, pen 0) |
| Total | 0/0 (1 Overs, RR: 0) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asitha Fernando | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
