GROS ISLET: Sri Lanka needed seven wickets to level the three-match series after reducing West Indies to 55-3 at lunch on the last day of the second Test at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium here on Monday.

After being dismissed for 342 with fast bowler Shannon Gabriel taking the remaining two wickets to finish with outstanding figures of 8-62, match figures of 13-121, Sri Lanka made early inroads as the West Indies stuttered in their chase for 296.

Two days after holding up play for two hours and being penalized five runs for allegedly altering the condition of the ball Sri Lanka have given themselves a great chance of heading into next week’s final Test in Barbados with the series still alive.

Gabriel added the wickets of Suranga Lakmal and Akila Dananjaya after already returning career-best of 6-57 during Sunday’s fourth day, having bagged 5-59 in the first innings. His overall figures are the best by West Indian against Sri Lanka.

The game had been dominated by news of Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal reportedly altering the ball by using a sweet in his pocket.

Following the controversy of day three, when the start of play was delayed by two hours with the Sri Lankan captain refusing to lead his team onto the field for the continuation of the West Indies first innings, the International Cricket Council confirmed a charge of ‘altering the condition of the ball’ — effectively ball tampering — against Chandimal.

Despite being at the centre of the storm, the Sri Lankan skipper put aside that immense distraction in supporting the in-form Kusal Mendis in a fifth-wicket stand of 117 that helped lift the visitors from the depths of 48 for four to 334 for eight in their second innings and a lead of 287 by the close of play on Sunday.

Chandimal eventually fell for 39 in the afternoon session but Mendis continued to anchor the middle-order rally with a top score of 87.

There was further resistance from Niroshan Dickwella (62) and Roshen Silva (48) which tilted the balance of the match.

Scoreboard

SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 253 (L.D. Chandimal 119 not out, B.K.G. Mendis 45; S.T. Gabriel 5-59, K.A.J. Roach 4-49).

WEST INDIES (1st Innings):

K.C. Brathwaite c Dickwella b Rajitha 22
D.S. Smith lbw b Dananjaya 61
K.O.A. Powell c Mendis b Kumara 27
S.D. Hope c de Silva b Lakmal 19
R.L. Chase c Lakmal b Kumara 41
S.O. Dowrich c Dickwella b Lakmal 55
J.O. Holder c Dickwella b Rajitha 15
D. Bishoo c Mendis b Rajitha 2
K.A.J. Roach lbw b Kumara 13
M.L. Cummins not out 8
S.T. Gabriel c de Silva b Kumara 3

EXTRAS (B-11, LB-8, W-9, NB-1, PEN-5) 34
TOTAL (all out, 100.3 overs) 300
FALL OF WKTS: 1-59, 2-115, 3-149, 4-163, 5-241, 6-254, 7-261, 8-279, 9-292.
BOWLING: Lakmal 24-6-50-2 (1w); Dananjaya 25-7-81-1; Rajitha 22-6-49-3 (2w); Kumara 26.3-4-86-4 (1nb, 2w); de Silva 3-0-10-0.

SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 334-8):
M.D.K.J. Perera c Dowrich b Gabriel 20
M.L. Udawatte c Bishoo b Roach 19
C.A.K. Rajitha lbw b Gabriel 0
D.M. de Silva c Smith b Gabriel 3
B.K.G. Mendis b Gabriel 87
L.D. Chandimal c Dowrich b Roach 39
A.R.S. Silva c Dowrich b Gabriel 48
N. Dickwella c Powell b Gabriel 62
A. Dananjaya b Gabriel 23
R.A.S. Lakmal lbw b Gabriel 7
C.B.R.L.S. Kumara not out 0

EXTRAS (B-12, LB-8, W-3, NB-11) 34
TOTAL (all out, 91.4 overs) 334
FALL OF WKTS: 1-32, 2-34, 3-44, 4-48, 5-165, 6-199, 7-298, 8-307, 9-334.
BOWLING: Roach 21-3-78-2 (2nb), Gabriel 20.4-6-62-8 (4nb); Holder 15-5-38-0 (2nb, 3w); Cummins 13-1-44-0 (3nb); Bishoo 11-0-58-0; Chase 10-1-38-0; Brathwaite 1-0-4-0.

WEST INDIES (2nd Indies):

K.C. Brathwaite not out 32
D.S. Smith c de Silva b Rajitha 1
K.O.A. Powell c Udawatte b Rajitha 2 S.D. Hope retired hurt 6
R.L. Chase b Lakmal 13 S.O. Dowrich not out 0

EXTRAS (B-1) 1
TOTAL (for three wkts, 24 overs) 55
FALL OF WKTS: 1-6, 2-8, 3-55.
BOWLING (to-date): Lakmal 6-1-15-1; Rajitha 9-3-15-2; Kumara 6-2-18-0; Dananjaya 3-0-6-0.
NOTE: Hope (6) retired hurt at 25-2.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2018