Charlie Austin
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1st Test: Sri Lanka v West Indies at Galle, 13-17 Nov 2001 Charlie Austin |
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West Indies 2nd innings:
Sri Lanka 1st innings: |
Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya finally called his players in on 590-9, leaving them with a 142 run lead.
There are 13 overs still scheduled in the day, but the light is fading fast and only a couple of overs will be possible.
Following the dismissal of Thilan Samaraweera the tourists picked up the wickets of Chaminda Vaas, caught by Marlon Samuels for seven, as he tried to pull, and Niroshan Bandaratillake, who was caught behind for four off Dinanath Ramnarine.
Muttiah Muralitharan came to the crease and the sight of the unorthodox strokeplay hurried Tillakaratne to his century with an edged drive to third man.
Muralitharan then created some entertainment for the crowd with a little cameo before he was trapped leg-before wicket for
Hashan Tillakaratne was left 105 not out at the innings close, having faced 247 balls during his six hour innings.
Sri Lanka added 45 runs in the hour after tea, 27 of which were scored by Samaraweera, who eschewed the risk-free approach adopted earlier in the day.
The home team were 549-6 at the evening drinks interval with a lead of 101 and 26 overs still scheduled for the day.
With the clouds building up around the stadium, however, the full quota of overs will not be completed.
Samaraweera was eventually dismissed, for the first time in his Test career, when he top edged an attempted pull and was caught by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs, to give Colin Stuart his first wicket of the game.
The 25-year-old all-rounder scored 77 from 180 balls and hit just one boundary. His dismissal ended a 154 run partnership for the sixth wicket.
Tillakaratne was 89 not out at the water break.
Sri Lanka added 96 runs in 34 overs and they now have a 56 run lead.
Samaraweera’s fifty follows an unbeaten 103 in his first Test match against India in August. He was 50 not out at the interval having faced 139 balls and hit a solitary boundary.
Meanwhile, Tillakaratne moved closer to his eighth Test century. He was unbeaten on 76 from 196 balls at the interval.
Sri Lanka show no signs of declaring yet. With the weather clear and the prospects of a full days play good, they look set to bat for at least another hour.
At the second drinks break in the afternoon Sri Lanka were 483-5 having scored 49 runs in the 50-minute passage of play.
Hashan Tillakaratne has also completed his 17th Test half-century. He reached it with a lofted boundary that took Sri Lanka into the lead and ended an astonishing 34 over period without a boundary.
Tillakaratne was 66 not out from 174 balls at the break, whilst Samaraweera, who had played himself in carefully, was on 40, having just struck an elegant lofted cover drive, the only boundary in his 112 balls.
The two West Indian spinners, Neil McGarrell and Dinanath Ramnarine, were bowling in tandem, despite the second new ball being overdue.
Having scored 69 runs in 35 overs this morning, Hashan Tillakaratne and Thilan Samaraweera added only 22 more runs in the 12 overs bowled after tea, despite still having five wickets to spare.
Sri Lanka were 434-5 at the first afternoon drinks interval with Tillakaratne on 42 (127 balls) and Samaraweera 15 (75 balls).
Straight after lunch Neil McGarrell replaced Dinanath Ramnarine from the City End, whilst Colin Stuart replaced Dillon from the Fort End after a six over post-lunch spell.
The home team are the only side who can win this match, but they have no signs today that they want to.
Sri Lanka, 343-3 overnight, scored just 69 runs in 35 overs during the two-and-a-half hour morning session, which leaves them on 412-4, still 36 runs in arrears.
It was a strange approach by the Sri Lankans.
The West Indian bowlers did bowl well, but this Galle Test represents their best chance of victory (Kandy and SSC will suit the West Indian fast bowlers) and the home team had established a strong platform last evening. More positive batting would have placed the tourists under pressure.
Sri Lanka’s problem was the presence of two natural accumulators rather than strokeplayers at the crease following the fall of Mahela Jaywardene and Russel Arnold.
Sangakkara had played the anchor role expertly, but he was unable to change gear following the departure of Arnold and had virtually ground to a halt when he was eventually run out.
Sangakkara cut to backward point and set off for a run, but there was a momentary hesitation between him and Tillakaratne when Daren Ganga fielded the ball. Despite the ball being relayed from Ganga to Carl Hooper mid-pitch and then onto the stumps, Sangakkara was short of the crease at the non-strikers end.
Sangakkara marathon 140 had spanned eight hours and 49 minutes. He faced 373 balls and hit 16 fours. It was a colossal feat of concentration and fitness.
Nevertheless he had struggled today. He had been dropped at slip before scoring and found it difficult to pierce the deep-set field employed by Hooper. This morning he added just 16 runs in 65 balls.
After Sangakkara’s departure Thilan Samaraweera, who scored a Test century on debut against India, joined Tillakaratne, who was 29 not out from 94 balls.
The West Indies bowlers enjoyed their best session of the Test. Colin Stuart finally found his radar and conceded only 10 runs in a gutsy nine over burst (five of the runs came in his first over). He nearly trapped Samaraweera leg-before too.
Ramnarine bowled throughout the session from the City End (morning spell: 17-4-45-1).
Sri Lanka, 343-3 overnight and 378-4 at the first water break, added only 16 more runs in the next 50 minutes to leave them on 394-4, still 54 runs behind.
Hashan Tillkaratne played one slog-sweep for four off Dinanth Ramnarine, who has bowled unchanged all morning, and was unbeaten on 20 at the interval.
Sangakkara scored only five runs in the short passage of play and was 140 not out from 371 balls.
Sri Lanka, 343-3 overnight, added 35 runs in the first 50 minutes after another early start following the bad weather last evening. They are now 70 runs in arrears.
Arnold had started the day confidently with a powerful sweep in front of square off Dinanath Ramnarine. The leg-spinner, however, struck back when he trapped Arnold leg-before in the fourth over of the day.
The left-hander looked disappointed with the decision (he has been desperately unlucky in recent months) and television replays showed that the ball may well have missed the top of the stumps.
Kumar Sangakkara’s marathon effort continues. He was 135 not out from 339 balls at the first water break of the morning.
He should, though, have been back in the pavilion, as Chris Gayle grassed a simple catch at first slip off Mervyn Dillon before the left-hander had scored his first run of the day.
Dillon bowled another tight spell from the Fort End (6-2-11-0) but the pressure he created was soon dissipated when he was replaced by Colin Stuart, who once again started by bowling short and wide.
Hashan Tillakaratne was 10 not out at the break.
© CricInfo
Date-stamped : 16 Nov2001 - 18:35