PORT OF SPAIN: Kusal Mendis completed a fifth Test century but it was Sri Lanka’s only bright spot on a successful morning for the West Indies who trounced the visitors by 226 runs on the final day of the first Test at the Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Sunday.

The West Indies claimed four wickets to leave the tourists reeling at 222 for seven at lunch, having been set a daunting target of 453. Before wrapping up the match by taking the remaining wickets swiftly after the interval with off-spinning all-rounder Roston Chase finishing with 4-15 as Sri Lanka crashed to 226 all out to fall behind 1-0 in the three-match series.

Hopes of the tourists seriously challenging a world record chase effectively evaporated with Mendis’ demise, caught behind for 102 off fast bowler Shannon Gabriel after just over half-an-hour’s play.

But even the prospects of saving the match, or at the very least taking the game into the final session disappeared with the loss of three more wickets before the break, including two off the final over bowled by Chase.

Stubborn nightwatchman Lahiru Gamage had fallen lbw to leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for just three after more than an hour’s resistance but the death knell was really sounded for the Sri Lankans when Chase accounted for both Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella in the space of five deliveries.

Chandimal was forced to curtail his innings yesterday afternoon when on 15 because he was feeling unwell.

He resumed after the fall of Mendis and showed no signs of further discomfort in getting to 27 until a flighted delivery from Chase tempted him into attempting to heave over midwicket only for the miscue to result in a simple catch for Kraigg Brathwaite running around to short mid-on.

It was hardly the sort of example he would have wanted to set as Sri Lanka’s captain. Within minutes Chandimal was joined by Dickwella in the dressing room as the wicketkeeper-batsman was trapped palpably leg-before by a quicker delivery from Chase.

It left all-rounder Dilruwan Perera and the tail-enders with what was always an impossible task of defying a buoyant West Indies side on a sun-drenched afternoon.

Earlier, Mendis had wasted no time in getting to three figures. Resuming on 94, he flicked a delivery from West Indies captain Jason Holder to backward square-leg for his tenth boundary.

Mendis also hoisted two sixes in a determined innings that occupied 110 deliveries. Yet for all that time at the crease, there was nothing he could do to avoid an unplayable delivery from Gabriel which kicked off a good length to brush the batsman’s gloves on the way through to wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 414-8 declared (S.O. Dowrich 125 not out, S.D. Hope 44, J.O. Holder 40, D. Bishoo 40; C.B.R.L.S. Kumara 4-95).

SRI LANKA (1st Inning) 185 (L.D. Chandimal 44; M.L. Cummins 3-39).

WEST INDIES (2nd Innings):

K.C. Brathwaite c Dickwella b Kumara 16

D.S. Smith b Lakmal 20

K.O.A. Powell c sub b M.D.K. Perera 88

S.D. Hope c Silva b Kumara 1

R.L. Chase b Herath 12

S.O. Dowrich lbw Kumara 13

J.O. Holder lbw Herath 39

D. Bishoo not out 16

K.A.J. Roach not out 11

EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, NB-1) 7

TOTAL (for seven wkts decl, 72 overs) 223

FALL OF WKTS: 1-36, 2-55, 3-75, 4-119, 4-149, 6-191, 7-203.

BOWLING: Lakmal 12-2-32-1 (1nb); Gamage 15-3-43-0; Herath 24-5-52-2; Kumara 9-0-40-3; M.D.K. Perera 12-1-50-1.

SRI LANKA (2nd Innings, overnight 176-3):

B.K.G. Mendis c Dowrich b Gabriel 102

M.D.K.J. Perera c Smith b Gabriel 12

L.D. Chandimal c Brathwaite b Chase 27

A.D. Mathews c Dowrich b Holder 31

A.R.S. Silva c and b Bishoo 14

P.L.S. Gamage lbw b Bishoo 3

N. Dickwella lbw b Chase 19

M.D.K. Perera not out 3

H.M.R.K.B. Herath c Hope b Bishoo 0

R.A.S. Lakmal c Dowrich b Chase 1

C.B.R.L.S. Kumara c Dowrich b Chase 0

Extras (b-3, lb-4, nb-7) 14

Total (all out, 83.2 overs) 226

FALL OF WKTS: 1-21, 2-123, 3-175, 4-189, 5-195, 6-218, 7-222, 7-225, 8-226.

BOWLING: Roach 15-3-57-0 (2nb); Gabriel 15-2-52-2 (4nb); Holder 14-6-24-1 (1nb); Cummins 12-4-23-0; Bishoo 19-2-48-3; Chase 8.2-1-15-4.

NOTE: Chandimal retired hurt on 15 at 49-1 and resumed at 189-4.

RESULT: West Indies won by 226 runs to lead three-match series 1-0.

UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and R.A. Kettleborough (England).

TV UMPIRE: I.J. Gould (England).

MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shane Dowrich.

SECOND TEST: Gros Islet (St Lucia), June 14-18.

THIRD TEST: Bridgetown (D/N), June 23-27.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2018