Windies give Sri Lanka mammoth task on final day
Published:Thursday | April 1, 2021 | 7:35 PMLennox Aldred/Gleaner Writer -
If there was ever a time that the West Indies were in the driver seat of a Test match, it would be this one, as the hosts have put themselves in a commanding position against Sri Lanka after day-four action of the second Test at North Sound, Antigua on Thursday.
At stumps, the Sri Lankans, batting a second time, were 29 without loss, chasing a formidable total of 377 runs to win after the West Indies posted 280 for four declared in their second innings.
The day began with the West Indies quickly wrapping up the Sri Lankans' first innings, after they had resumed on 250 for eight.
Kemar Roach sent back overnight batsman Pathum Nissanka for 51, just after the right-hander had gotten to his half-century.
The Barbadian then wrapped up the innings at 258 all out, when he had Vishwa Fernando caught behind for a duck.
Roach finished with three wickets for 58 runs while Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder ended with two wickets each.
With a hefty lead of 96 runs, the West Indies were looking to press home the advantage, knowing that time would be of the essence.
Once again, opener John Campbell's technical flaws were exposed, as he went caught behind for the fourth time in the series, this time for 10 off the bowling of Suranga Lakmal, with just 13 runs on the board.
Jermaine Blackwood then came to the crease at number three, in the absence of the injured Nkrumah Bonner, and he and captain Kraigg Brathwaite added 44 runs for the second wicket.
Blackwood then feathered at a short delivery from Dushmantha Chameera and was caught behind for 18 at 58 for two.
Brathwaite, who has been the anchor of the West Indies batting in this second Test, then found another useful partner in Kyle Mayers, and they played positively to take the score to 140 runs before Mayers fell for a well-played 55, which included eight fours.
That 82-run partnership was followed up by another partnership of over 80 runs, this time for the fourth wicket, as Brathwaite and Jason Holder consolidated on a flat pitch and a tiring Sri Lanka attack that was missing front line spinner Lasith Embuldeniya through injury.
With the score at 227, Brathwaite, on 85, was bowled by Chameera. Holder continued to push the scoring and he and Joshua Da Silva added a further 53 runs to take the West score to 280 before Brathwaite declared the innings closed.
Holder was left unbeaten on 71 and Da Silva 20.
With a target of 377, the West Indies wanted to snare a couple of wickets just before the close, however, Lahiru Thirimanne, 17, and captain Dimuth Karunaratne, 11, batted out the remaining overs and reached 29 without loss at stumps, still trailing by 348 runs.
The final day of action bowls off from the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at 9 a.m.
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES 1st Innings 354
SRI LANKA 1st Innings
(overnight 250 for eight)
*D Karunaratne c Bonner b Joseph 1
L Thirimanne b Roach 55
O Fernando lbw b Mayers 18
D Chandimal c sub (Hayden Walsh Jr) b Gabriel 44
D de Silva lbw b Blackwood 39
P Nissanka c sub (Hayden Walsh Jr) b Roach
+N Dickwella c wkp Da Silva b Holder 20
S Lakmal c Brathwaite b Joseph 6
D Chameera c wkp Da Silva b Holder 2
L Embuldeniya not out 0
V Fernando c wkp Da Silva b Roach 0
Extras (b4, lb5, w1, nb7) 17
TOTAL (all out, 107 overs) 258
Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Karunaratne), 2-64 (O Fernando), 3-77 (Thirimanne), 4-152 (Chandimal), 5-177 (Dhananjaya), 6-203 (Dickwella), 7-214 (Lakmal), 8-231 (Chameera), 9-258 (Nissanka), 10-258 (V Fernando)
Bowling: Roach 18-5-58-3 (nb4), Gabriel 16-3-37-1, Joseph 22-4-64-2 (w1), Holder 21-3-39-2 (nb2), Mayers 11-7-10-1, Cornwall 15-5-25-0, Blackwood 4-0-16-1.
WEST INDIES 2nd Innings
*K Brathwaite b Chameera 85
J Campbell c wkp Dickwella b Lakmal 10
J Blackwood c wkp Dickwella b Chameera 18
K Mayers lbw b Lakmal 55
J Holder not out 71
+J Da Silva not out 20
Extras (b2, lb12, w1, nb6) 21
TOTAL (4 wkts decl, 72.4 overs) 280
Did not bat: N Bonner, A Joseph, R Cornwall, K Roach, S Gabriel.
Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Campbell), 2-58 (Blackwood), 3-140 (Mayers), 4-227 (Brathwaite)
Bowling: Lakmal 14-3-62-2 (nb2), V Fernando 12.4-1-49-0 (w1, nb1), Dhananjaya 28-3-81-0 (nb3), Chameera 18-0-74-2.
SRI LANKA 2nd Innings (target: 377 runs)
L Thirimanne not out 17
*D Karunaratne not out 11
Extras (nb1) 1
TOTAL (without loss, 9 overs) 29
Bowling: Roach 4-0-18-0, Holder 3-2-3-0 (nb1), Cornwall 2-0-8-0.
Position: Sri Lanka require a further 348 runs with all 10 wickets intact.
Toss: Sri Lanka.
Umpires: G Brathwaite, J Wilson; TV – N Duguid.