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GALLE (Sri Lanka), Nov 14: Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan led a Sri Lankan fight-back with a six-wicket haul on the second day of the first cricket Test against the West Indies here Wednesday.
The bowling wizard triggered a West Indies collapse by taking the prize scalp of Brian Lara (178), with the final six wickets falling for just 25 runs to end the tourists’ innings on 448.
Muralitharan finished with 6-126, his 29th five-wicket haul in Tests, and he was well supported by left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas, who took the other four wickets.
Sri Lanka then survived the early dismissal of skipper Sanath Jayasuriya to reach 103-1 in reply, with opener Marvan Atapattu (46) and Kumar Sangakkara (27) at the crease.
Jayasuriya slammed a 19-ball 25 before being caught at point by Neil McGarrell off fast bowler Mervyn Dillon.
But opener Atapattu and Sangakkara steadied the innings with an unbroken 66-run stand for the second wicket.
The West Indies found no one to prop up their innings after Lara fell in the session after lunch.
The tourists, guided by the resurgent Lara, were strongly placed at 423-4 before succumbing to the home team’s disciplined spin-pace combination.
The 29-year-old Muralitharan, testing the batsmen with his turn and flight, claimed the vital wicket of Lara when the West Indian top-edged a sweep to be caught by diving wicket-keeper Sangakkara.
Lara, 117 overnight, smashed 19 boundaries in his 293-ball knock and looked set to put his team on course for a massive total before the Sri Lankan bowlers struck.
Vaas kept up the pressure from the other end, accounting for Ridley Jacobs (eight) and Dillon (five).
Muralitharan dismissed McGarrell and Colin Stuart off successive balls in his 54th over to end the West Indies knock.
It was an impressive comeback by the Sri Lankan bowlers after they had struggled for wickets in the morning session in the face of Lara’s rich stroke-play.
The 32-year-old left-hander put on 153 for the fourth wicket with captain Carl Hooper (69) as the West Indies reached 409-4 at lunch.
Muralitharan took the lone wicket in the morning session when he caught and bowled Hooper in his second over.
The West Indies captain, 34 overnight, hit seven fours in his 23rd Test half-century after his team had resumed at 316-3.
There was, however, no stopping Lara. He reached his 150 in style, cutting debutant fast bowler Charitha Buddhika for his 17th boundary.
WEST INDIES (1st Innings, overnight 316-3):
D. Ganga c Jayawardena b Vaas 47
C.H. Gayle c Sangakkara b Vaas 9
R.R. Sarwan b Muralitharan 88
B.C. Lara c S’kkara b M’tharan 178
C.L. Hooper c and b Muralitharan 69
M.N. Samuels b Muralitharan 16
R.D. Jacobs c Sangakkara b Vaas 8
N.C. McGarrell c Arnold b M’tharan 4
M. Dillon c Jayasuriya b Vaas 5
D. Ramnarine not out 0
C.E.L. Stuart b Muralitharan 0
EXTRAS (B-8, LB-6, NB-5) 19
PENALTY RUNS 5
TOTAL (all out, 141.3 overs) 448
FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-95, 3-240, 4-393, 5-423, 6-434, 7-440, 8-448, 9-448.
BOWLING: Vaas 31-5-96-4 (3nb); Buddhika 18-2-80-0 (1nb); Muralitharan 53.3-11-125-6; Bandaratilleke 22-3-76-0; Jayasuriya 9-2-24-0; Samaraweera 6-0-24-0 (1nb); Arnold 2-1-4-0.
SRI LANKA (1st Innings):
M.S. Atapattu not out 46
S.T. Jayasuriya c M’rrell b Dillon 25
K. Sangakkara not out 27
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-1, NB-2) 5
TOTAL (for one wkt, 35 overs) 103
FALL OF WKT: 1-37.
TO BAT: D.P.M. Jayawardena, R.P. Arnold, H.P. Tillekeratne, T.T. Samaraweera, W.P.U.J.C. Vaas, M.R.C.N. Bandaratilleke, C. Buddhika,
M. Muralitharan.
BOWLING (to-date): Dillon 10-4-33-1; Stuart 5-0-24-0 (2nb, 1w); McGarrell 9-2-17-0; Ramnarine 6-2-16-0; Hooper 5-0-11-0.—AFP/Reuters
