NORTH SOUND – West Indies hopes of making inroads into the Sri Lanka batting met resistance from Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva in the second Test in Antigua.
Chandimal was not out on 34 and Dhananajaya was not out on 23, and the Sri Lankans were 136 for three, replying to the Windies’ first innings total of 354, at the close on the second day of the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
West Indies made a few timely breakthroughs and Sri Lanka wobbling on 77 for three, but Dhananjaya came to the crease and batted through the final two hours of the day with Chandimal to put on 59 – unbroken – for the fourth wicket.
Hometown pacer Alzarri Joseph gave the Windies an early breakthrough, but they had no further success between lunch and tea, and the Sri Lankans reached 60 for one at the break.
Joseph had Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne spectacularly caught right-handed in the gully by Nkrumah Bonner for one in his third over.
But the Windies bowlers toiled for the remainder of the period with Lahiru Thirimanne and Oshada Fernando holding firm either side of a 10-minute stoppage for rain.
West Indies thought they had Fernando lbw on 16, when he offered no stroke to a delivery from Kyle Mayers that swung back sharply through the air, but TV ball tracking technology supported umpire Joel Wilson’s not out decision.
Mayers was far more fortunate in the second over after tea, when he trapped Fernando lbw for 18.
Kemar Roach followed up, when he bowled Thirimanne off the inside-edge for his third consecutive half-century of the series of 55.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite gave his bowlers short spells in the search for a wicket, but the breakthrough never came.
West Indies thought they had de Silva caught behind down the leg-side essaying a pull off the penultimate ball of the day from off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, but TV replays proved they were incorrect.
Earlier, Brathwaite and Cornwall completed a century, eighth wicket stand of 103, after West Indies continued from their overnight total of 287 for seven.
Brathwaite turned the second delivery of the day from pacer Suranga Lakmal to fine leg for a single to reach his hundred from 241 balls and end a near three-year drought.
Cornwall reached his 50 from 64 balls, when he cracked Lakmal through backward point for his eighth four before he was caught at mid-on off Lakmal, after frustrating the Sri Lankans for over an hour.
Kemar Roach stayed long enough with Brathwaite to get the Windies past 350 before he was caught behind off Dushmanth Chameera for nine, and the same bowler brought the innings to a close, when he bowled Brathwaite off the inside edge.
Lakmal was the pick of the Sri Lankan bowlers with four for 94 from 23 overs and Chameera supported with three for 69 from 21.1 overs.
Summarised scores:
WEST INDIES 354 (Kraigg Brathwaite 126, Rahkeem Cornwall 73, Kyle Mayers 49, Jason Holder 30, Alzarri Joseph 29, Jermaine Blackwood 18; Suranga Lakmal 4-94, Dushmanth Chameera 3-69).
SRI LANKA 136 for three (Lahiru Thirimanne 55, Dinesh Chandimal 34 not out, Dhananjaya de Silva 23 not out, Oshada Fernando 18).
(AR)
