Roach strikes but Sri Lanka battle back in first Test

NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: 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.’

Score Board

West Indies won toss

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 169 all out

West Indies 1st Innings

K. Brathwaite c de Silva b Lakmal 3

J. Campbell c wkpr Dickwella b Chameera 42

N. Bonner lbw Embuldeniya 31

K. Mayers c de Silva b Lakmal 45

J. Blackwood b Lakmal 2

J. Holder b Lakmal 19

J. da Silva c wkpr Dickwella b Chameera 46

A. Joseph c Chandimal b Lakmal 0

R Cornwall b MVT Fernando 61

K Roach not out 5

S Gabriel lbw b MVT Fernando 0

Extras (lb-6, nb-9, w-1) 16

Total (103 overs, all out) 271

Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Brathwaite), 2-69 (Bonner), 3-95 (Campbell), 4-120 (Blackwood), 5-133 (Mayers), 6-169 (Holder), 7-171 (Joseph), 8-261 (da Silva), 9-271 (Rahkeem Cornwall), 10-271 (Shannon Gabriel)

Bowling: S. Lakmal 25-9-45-5 (3nb), V. Fernando 17-6-52-2, D. Chameera 22-1-71-2 (2nb, 1w), L. Embuldeniya 28-6-64-1 (4nb), D. de Silva 11-2-30-0

Umpires: Gregory Brathwaite and Joel Wilson (West Indies)