KANDY, Nov 23: Nuwan Zoysa took a wicket with his first ball on his return to Test cricket on Friday when he dismissed West Indies’ opener Darren Ganga for a duck.

Zoysa, who has been absent for eight months through injury, induced Ganga to edge his opening delivery to Mahela Jaywardene at third slip as West Indies began their reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings 288 on the third day of the second Test.

At the close, after heavy overnight rain had prevented any play before lunch or after tea, West Indies were 39 for one with Chris Gayle unbeaten on 25 from 32 balls with four boundaries.

The West Indies pace bowlers captured the last two Sri Lanka wickets after the home side resumed at 273 for eight.

SRI LANKA (1st innings) (overnight 273-8)

M.Atapattu lbw b Dillon 0

S.Jayasuriya c Gayle b Collins 16

K.Sangakkara b Ramnarine 15

M.Jayawardene c & b Ramnarine 88

R.Arnold b Ramnarine 4

H.Tillakaratne b Collins 87

T.Samaraweera c Jacobs b Dillon 29

C.Vaas c Hooper b Collins 0

N.Bandaratillake not out 12

N.Zoysa b Collins 23

M.Muralitharan c Stuart b Dillon 4

EXTRAS (lb-6, nb-4) 10

TOTAL (all out, 96.4 overs) 288

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-27, 3-49, 4-53, 5-169, 6-249, 7-249, 8-249, 9-281

BOWLING: Dillon 20.4-4-55-3 (1nb), Collins 27-7-78-4 (1nb), Stuart 0.1-0-2-0 (2nb), Gayle 0.3-0-4-0, Hooper 21-6-44-0, Ramnarine 25-6-81-3, Samuels 3-0-18-0.

WEST INDIES (1st innings)

C.Gayle not out 25

D.Ganga c Jayawardene b Zoysa 0

R.Sarwan not out 12

EXTRAS (nb-2) 2

TOTAL (one wicket, 11 overs) 39

FALL OF WKTS: 1-8.

BOWLING: Vaas 6-1-25-0 (2nb), Zoysa 4-1-13-1, Muralitharan 1-0-1-0. —Reuters