Roach strikes but Sri Lanka battle back in first Test
NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda (AFP) — West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach struck early to remove Dimuth Karunaratne in just the fifth over of Sri Lanka’s second innings but the visitors knuckled down to reach 67 for one at lunch, still 35 runs behind, on the third day of the first Test in Antigua on Tuesday.
Lahiru Thirimanne, top scorer with 70 in the paltry Sri Lanka first innings total of 169, looked solid again in getting to the interval on 28 and added an unbroken partnership of 59 for the second wicket with Oshada Fernando, who stroked five boundaries on the way to unbeaten 34.
Roach was earlier left unbeaten after Sri Lanka wrapped up the home side’s first innings just two overs into the day.
Vishwa Fernando dismissed top-scorer Rahkeem Cornwall for 61 and last man Shannon Gabriel within the space of four deliveries as the West Indies were all out for 271, a first innings lead of 102.
Suranga Lakmal missed out the tail but ended with career-best Test innings figures of five for 47, an improvement on the fast-medium bowler’s previous best of five for 54 against New Zealand in the Boxing Day Test in Christchurch in 2018.
With Cornwall resuming on 60 and the West Indies already ahead by 99 runs with two wickets in hand, any hope of extending the lead significantly beyond the 100-run mark ended when Fernando bowled the burly right-hander through the gate with just one run added to the batsman’s score.
Shannon Gabriel then lived up to his reputation as a certified tail-ender when he was trapped plumb leg-before to end the innings and cause some relief in the Sri Lankan camp that they were finally able to complete a task they appeared to have under control when the West Indies were labouring at 171 for seven after tea on the second day.
That relief swiftly descended to anxiety when Karunaratne again fell cheaply, making just three before edging an attempted drive to a full-length delivery from Roach for John Campbell to take the comfortable catch at third slip.
However Thirimanne and Fernando dropped anchor to take the Sri Lankans through to lunch and give them hope of building a substantial second innings.
