CHAMINDA VAAS FINISHES WITH 14 WICKETS IN MATCH

West Indies were bowled for 262 in their second innings just 38 minutes after the interval as Vaas picked up career best figures for the second time in the match as he took seven for 71 in the innings.

He also took 14 for 191 in the match which were the second best figures in the history of Sri Lankan Test cricket; a remarkable feat on a bone dry pitch that offered the fast bowlers little encouragement.

Mervyn Dillon hung around for 24 minutes after lunch, but at 1.34pm he was caught off a leading edge.

Two balls later Vaas trapped Dinanth Ramnarine lbw for a duck, who thus failed to score a single run all series and was out for a duck on four separate occasions.

In his next over he then wrapped up the innings. Pedro Collins was trapped lbw for another duck (there were five in the innings) and Marlon Black out in the same manner to his first ball.

Ridley Jacobs was left not out on 31.

WEST INDIES ON VERGE OF SERIES WHITEWAS AT LUNCH

Lara, already the fifth man in Test history to score a double and single ton in a match was looking to become the first player to score two double centuries, but was cleaned bowled at 12.14am for 130 by Nuwan Zoysa, who produced a sharp inswinging yorker that rattled into the left-handers stumps (240 for six).

West Indies were left on 247 for six at lunch. They have, at least, avoided an innings defeat by finally overhauling the 237-run deficit. They had a slender 10 run lead at lunch.

Earlier in the session, soon after the drinks break, Carl Hooper was stumped by Sangakkara off Muttiah Muralitharan for nine having been deceived by a straighter delivery (203 for four).

Three minutes later Marlon Samuels was caught at silly point for a duck by Mahela Jayawardene. He nearly went first ball, just surviving a confidant bat-pad appeal, but gloved his second ball and didn’t wait for the umpire Russel Tiffin’s decision (203 for five).

Lara and Ridley Jacobs, who survived several vehement lbw appeals, added 37 runs for the sixth wicket before Zoysa conjured up some reverse swing.

Both Vaas and Muralitharan bowled extended spells in the morning. Vaas reeled off ten overs from the Tennis Courts End and swung the old ball dangerously, whilst Muralitharan bowled 11 overs on the trot and then returned just before lunch to try and wrap up the innings.

VAAS CLAIMS TEN-WICKETS WITH SARWAN DISMISSAL

At the first water break of the day, West Indies, needing to bat out the day to avoid a series whitewash, were 200 for three after 60 overs, now just 37 runs run behind Sri Lanka’s first innings score.

Brian Lara, who played aggressively in the morning and hit five further boundaries, remains the greatest obstacle to the home teams third consecutive victory. He completed his second century of the innings in the morning and was 114 not out at the break to become the fifth batsmen in Test history to score a double and single ton in a Test.

Vaas’s ten-wicket haul - only the second of his career after a ten-for in Napier, New Zealand, during his first overseas tour in 1994/5 – came when he had Sarwan was caught behind after edging a full-length delivery that swung late.

Sarwan had scored 66 from 141 balls and hit 11 fours.

The breakthrough ended a 141-run partnership for the third wicket.

Sri Lanka used their two premier bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan and Vaas, throughout the morning.

Captain Carl Hooper was not out on nine.

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Date-stamped : 03 Dec2001 - 16:47