Galle, Sri Lanka: West Indies were in deep trouble on Monday in the first Test against Sri Lanka as they collapsed to 113 for six at stumps on day two in reply to the hosts’ first innings total of 386 all out.
The tourists, hunting their first ever Test win in Sri Lanka, trailed by 273 runs with four wickets in hand in Galle.
After Sri Lanka’s quicks failed to take a wicket, the spinners made hay as off-spinner Ramesh Mendis claimed three wickets and left-arm orthodox duo Praveen Jayawickrama and Lasith Embuldeniya shared three wickets between them.
Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood had added 46 runs for the first wicket before Embuldeniya provided the breakthrough trapping Blackwood leg-before for 20. Jayawickrama was operating from the City End and Nkrumah Bonner gloved one to first slip where Dhananjaya de Silva took a low catch. He made one.
Then off-spinner Mendis came into the attack in the 32nd over replacing Jayawickrama and claimed two wickets in two balls to put West Indies in all sorts of trouble. He struck in the last ball of his first over when Brathwaite was caught at leg-slip. Brathwaite had looked solid on his way to 41 off 115 deliveries with seven fours and had successfully overturned a decision before tea.
Mendis struck again in the first ball of his second over when Shai Hope was well caught by Oshada Fernando at short leg. He made 10.
Hope came in as concussion substitute for Jeremy Solozano. On his Test debut, Solozano was taken to hospital on the first morning.
— AFP
Sri Lanka first innings
P Nissanka c Cornwall b Gabriel56
D Karunaratne st da Silva b Chase147
O Fernando c Bonner b Chase3
A Mathews c Holder b Chase3
D de Silva hit wicket b Gabriel61
D Chandimal c Cornwall b Chase45
R Mendis c da Silva b Warrican13
S Lakmal lbw Warrican11
D Chameera c Brathwaite b Warrican3
L Embuldeniya c Blackwood b Chase17
P Jayawickrama (not out)8
Extras (B-5, LB-6, NB-8)19
Total (all out, 133.5 overs)386
Fall of wickets: 1-139, 2-164, 3-170, 4-281, 5-296, 6-331, 7-355, 8-361, 9-361
Bowling: S Gabriel 19-2-69-2, J Holder 19-9-24-0, R Cornwall 27-3-91-0, K Mayers 3-0-9-0, J Warrican 32-5-87-3, R Chase 28.5-3-83-5, J Blackwood 1-0-6-0, K Brathwaite 4-0-6-0
West Indies first innings
K Brathwaite c Nissanka b Mendis41
J Blackwood lbw Embuldeniya20
N Bonner c de Silva b Jayawickrama1
S Hope c Fernando b Mendis10
R Chase c Fernando b Mendis2
J Warrican c Chandimal b Warrican1
K Mayers (not out)22
J Holder (not out)1
Extras (B-8, LB-4, NB-2, W-1)15
Total (For 6 wkts, 42 overs)113
Fall of wickets: 1-46, 2-51, 3-80, 4-83, 5-86, 6-100
Bowling: S Lakmal 5-1-6-0, D Chameera 4-0-8-0, L Embuldeniya 15-4-39-1, P Jayawickrama 12-4-25-2, R Mendis 6-1-23-3
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