November 22, 2001	Thursday	Ramazan 6, 1422

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

KANDY (Sri Lanka), Nov 21: Mahela Jayawardena and Hashan Tillekeratne rescued Sri Lanka with a century stand on the opening day of the second Test after the West Indies had paceman Colin Stuart forced out of the attack for bowling beamers.

The home side, having won the toss, closed on 193 for five wickets, with Tillekeratne unbeaten on 60, after the final session was washed out by rain.

Jayawardena just missed out on a hundred for the second time in the three-Test series when he was dismissed for 88.

The main drama, however, came in the opening overs of the match when Stuart was barred from bowling for the rest of the innings for hurling two beamers in an over at Sanath Jayasuriya.

That saw West Indies, already struggling with injuries, lose half of their bowling attack within the first hour.

Stuart had been brought on to complete key strike bowler Mervyn Dillon’s fourth over after Dillon temporarily retired to the pavilion with a stomach ailment.

Stuart bowled three balls — one legal delivery sandwiched between two head-high beamers — at Jayasuriya at the Asgiriya International Stadium before being stepped down by umpire John Hampshire.

The over was finally completed by opening batsman Chris Gayle, after eight balls, 14 minutes and the use of three bowlers.

West Indies, who had already gone into the game without injured fast bowler Reon King and who must avoid defeat to keep the three-match series alive, found themselves redu-ced to just two specialist bowlers, paceman Pedro Collins and leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine.

Against the odds they hit back, reducing the Sri Lankans to 85 for four at lunch, before Tillekeratne and Jayawardena took advantage of the touring side’s bowling problems.

Jayawardena hit nine fours and a six during a 116-run stand for the fifth wicket before Ramnarine, who earlier took two wickets in his third over, returned in his second spell to dismiss Jayawardena with his fourth ball.

The elegant right-hander tried to force a ball from the spinner and only succeeded in hitting a return catch to make it 169 for five.

Tillekeratne, meanwhile, continued his fine form by stroking his way to his 17th Test fifty and his third in his last four innings.

Tillekeratne reached his half-century with a sweep-pull shot for six and followed it up with a square cut boundary off Ramnarine.

Dillon, who retired in his fourth over, returned to bowl just five more in the post-lunch session.

The tourists did not miss their pacemen as Ramnarine removed Russel Arnold and Kumar Sangakkara in four balls before lunch after the hosts had elected to bat.

Sri Lanka got off to a shaky start when opener Marvan Atapattu was trapped leg-before by Dillon for his 19th duck in Test cricket.

Jayasuriya was surprised by extra bounce to be caught by Chris Gayle at third slip off Collins after contributing 16.

Sri Lanka’s woes continued as Sangakkara inside-edged a Ramnarine delivery on to his stumps after scoring 15. Three balls later, Arnold was bowled cutting against the spin.

Sri Lanka and the West Indies each made one change from the teams that played in the opening Test at Galle last week, which the hosts won by 10 wickets.

Sri Lanka replaced Charitha Buddika with fit-again left-arm seamer Nuwan Zoysa, while the tourists included fast bow-ler Collins in place of left-arm spinner Neil Mc-Garrell.