LAKMAL TAKES THREE, BUT BRATHWAITE RESISTS
West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite made a fighting half-century as West Indies reached 171 for 5 at tea on the first day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Antigua earlier this morning. Brathwaite was unbeaten on 61 off 145 deliveries, having shown the graft that some of the home team’s middle order batsmen seemed to lack.
Fresh from his career-best Test innings figures of five for 47, Suranga Lakmal took two early wickets as West Indies slipped to 15 for 2 in the ninth over after Sri Lanka had opted to field first.
Opener John Campbell poked at a delivery outside off and was caught behind by Niroshan Dickwella, before first Test centurion Nkrumah Bonner dragged the ball onto his own stumps.
Kyle Mayers then counter-attacked, though with a high degree of risk, and helped the home team reach lunch on 86 for 2.
He didn’t last long after the break though, edging left-arm fast-bowler Vishwa Fernando to Dickwella, just short of a half-century, in an innings that included eight boundaries.
Jermaine Blackwood, the next man in, also showed an aggressive streak hammering Lakmal for a four and a six inside his first seven deliveries he faced, but the bowler had the last laugh when Dickwella took a low catch to dismiss Blackwood for 18.
Former Windies captain Jason Holder then scored at almost a run-a-ball, with 30 off 34 balls, but a booming cover drive to Dhananjaya de Silva resulted only in an edge to Lahiru Thirimanne. De Silva almost had two in two deliveries when Windies wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva completely missed a
sweep and was adjudged out leg before wicket.
The batsman reviewed, possibly out of hope than conviction, but to his luck ball-tracking concluded that the ball would miss leg-stump even though to the naked eye it seemed like the review was a lost cause. Da Silva then batted out the session, having yet to score off 11 deliveries.
Both teams are unchanged from the first Test where the tourists rallied from a 102-run first innings deficit to seize the initiative, only for the home side to bat through the final day to draw.
Sri Lanka are seeking a first-ever Test series triumph in the Caribbean, while the West Indies are keen to follow up their series success in Bangladesh in February with a home triumph ahead of a long international break to accommodate the Indian Premier League.