NORTH SOUND: West Indies reached 91-2 at lunch on the final day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Resuming at 34-1 in pursuit of a improbable 375-run target, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite to spinner Lasith Embuldeniya for 23 but Nkrumah Bonner held firm to make an unbeaten 50 at the interval. Kyle Mayers (6) was the other batsman at the crease with the hosts still requiring 284 in the remaining two sessions.
On Wednesday’s post-lunch play, Pathum Nissanka’s hundred on debut and Niroshan Dickwella’s pugnacious 96 solidified Sri Lanka’s outstanding second innings rearguard. Nissanka slowed to a crawl in the second session of the day but finally reached the coveted century landmark just before tea to join Brendon Kuruppu (who hit a double-century), Romesh Kaluwitharana and Thilan Samaraweera as the only Sri Lankans to score hundreds on Test debut.
Samaraweera was the last to achieve the landmark before Wednesday, getting to three figures in his first Test, against India in Colombo in 2001.Nissanka and Dickwella dominated the first two sessions of the day, putting on 179 for the sixth wicket. Dickwella was destined for a maiden Test hundred in his 42nd match until he was bowled by Kemar Roach, playing a lazy shot. Nissanka had already departed for 103, compiled in 341 minutes off 252 balls and including six fours, and the innings quickly subsided in the rush for quick runs.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA (1st Innings) 169 (H.D.R.L. Thirimanne 70; J.O. Holder 5-27, K.A.J. Roach 3-47).
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 271 (R.R.S. Cornwall 61, J. da Silva 46, K.R. Mayers 45, J.D. Campbell 42; R.A.S. Lakmal 5-47).
SRI LANKA (2nd Innings):
H.D.R.L. Thirimanne b Roach 76
F.D.M. Karunaratne c Campbell b Roach 3
B.O.P. Fernando c da Silva b Mayers 91
L.D. Chandimal c da Silva b Mayers 4
D.M. de Silva b Joseph 50
P. Nissanka c Roach b Cornwall 103
N. Dickwella b Roach 96
R.A.S. Lakmal run out 8
P.V.D. Chameera c Mayers b Cornwall 6
L. Embuldeniya c Holder b Cornwall 10
M.V.T. Fernando not out 0
EXTRAS (B-13, LB-5, NB-11) 29
TOTAL (all out, 149.5 overs) 476
FALL OF WKTS: 1-8, 2-170, 3-178, 4-189, 5-259, 6-438, 7-460, 8-462, 9-476.
BOWLING: Roach 27-3-74-3 (6nb); Gabriel 18-2-67-0; Holder 22-4-40-0 (2nb); Joseph 21-2-83-1; Cornwall 42.5-4-137-3; Brathwaite 9-1-30-0; Mayers 9-2-24-2 (3nb); Blackwood 1-0-3-0.
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings, overnight 34-1):
K.C. Brathwaite lbw b Embuldeniya 23
J.D. Campbell c Dickwella b V. Fernando 11
N.E. Bonner not out 50
K.R. Mayers not out 6
EXTRAS (NB-1) 1
TOTAL (for two wkts, 48 overs) 91
FALL OF WKT: 1-1, 2-78.
BOWLING (to-date): Lakmal 14-6-16-0; M.V.T. Fernando 10-0-36-1; Embuldeniya 10-6-9-1 (1nb); Chameera 9-2-25-0; de Silva 5-3-5-0.
Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2021
