COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – West Indies’ early gains in the second Test against Sri Lanka yesterday were eroded, following a half-century stand between Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera, and then fickle weather that prompted an early close.
Kemar Roach and Darren Sammy exploited the conditions to give West Indies the upper hand, but Sangakkara and Samaraweera led a recovery to take Sri Lanka to 84 for three in their first innings, when bad light stopped play about five minutes after the rescheduled tea break with a minimum of 40.4 overs remaining on the opening day.
Inclement weather also badly disrupted the first Test, which ended in a draw at Galle last Friday to leave the three-Test series level at 0-0.
The weather forecast over the remaining four days also appears bleak with a 50-60 per cent chance of further rain interruptions.
Roach and Sammy made hay while the rain stayed away, and had Sri Lanka wobbling on 34 for three inside the first hour, after the home team chose to bat on a Premadasa Stadium pitch freshened by a 2 ½-hour weather delay under overcast to partly cloudy skies.
Things however, slipped out of West Indies control, when Samaraweera, not out on 26, joined Sangakkara, not out on 25, and they added an even 50 – unbroken – for the fourth wicket either side of the tea break.
Roach has been the most successful West Indies bowler so far with two wickets for 24 runs from 10 overs, and Sammy, the West Indies captain, sharing the new ball, has been the most economical with his wicket costing 25 in a marathon spell of 17 overs on the trot from the start.
Not a ball was bowled before the scheduled lunch interval due to the wet outfield caused by overnight and early morning rain.
When play commenced, Roach gave West Indies an early breakthrough, when he bowled Dilshan for four in the fifth over – the batsman drove down the wrong line, and had his off-stump leaned.
The West Indies strike bowler might have had Sangakkara on two, but Sammy got only his fingertips to a difficult chance, flying to his left at third slip.
Roach persevered, and was rewarded, when Paranavitana, playing defensively forward, was caught at second slip for 16 edging a well-pitched delivery that squared him up.
Next over, Sammy repaid his side for his indiscretion, when he bowled Jayawardene, scorer of a pair of half-centuries in the first Test, for two.
West Indies bowled with increased discipline, and continued to hunt the wickets, but Sangakkara and Samaraweera stood firm, and started to dig Sri Lanka out of the hole.
Sri Lanka made three changes to their line-up, with Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, and Suranga Lakmal replacing Thilan Thushara, Suraj Randiv, and Dammika Prasad.
West Indies have just one adjustment, bringing beanpole left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in to replace Andre Russell, following the end of his one-Test suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct during his previous Test against South Africa last July on home soil in Barbados.
West Indies are seeking their first ever Test victory on Sri Lanka soil.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA 1st Innings
T. Paranavitana c D.J. Bravo b Roach 16
T. Dilshan b Roach 4
*K. Sangakkara not out 25
M. Jayawardene b *Sammy 2
T. Samaraweera not out 26
Extras (b1, lb4, w5, nb1) 11
TOTAL (3 wkts, 37.2 overs) 84
A. Mathews, +P. Jayawardene, N. Kulasekara, A. Mendis, R. Herath, S. Lakmal to bat
Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Dilshan), 2-31 (Paranavitana), 3-34 (M. Jayawardene)
Bowling: Roach 10-4-24-2; *Sammy 17-6-25-1 (nb1); D.J. Bravo 7.2-3-21-0 (w5); Benn 3-1-9-0
WEST INDIES: C. Gayle, A. Barath, D. Bravo, S. Chanderpaul, B. Nash, D. Bravo, +C. Baugh Jr, *D. Sammy, S. Benn, S. Shillingford, K. Roach
Toss: Sri Lanka
Umpires: Asad Rauf, R. Kettleborough
TV umpire: S. Davis
Matchreferee: A. Hurst
Reserve umpire: K. Dharmasena
