The West Indies were in deep trouble in the first Test against Sri Lanka as they collapsed to 113 for six at stumps on day two in reply to the hosts’ first innings total of 386 all out.
The tourists, hunting their first ever Test win in Sri Lanka, trailed by 273 runs with four wickets in hand in Galle. After Sri Lanka’s quicks failed to take a wicket, the spinners made hay as off-spinner Ramesh Mendis claimed three wickets and left-arm orthodox duo Praveen Jayawickrama and Lasith Embuldeniya shared three wickets between them.
Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood had added 46 runs for the first wicket before Embuldeniya provided the breakthrough trapping Blackwood leg-before for 20. Jayawickrama was operating from the City End and Nkrumah Bonner gloved one to first slip where Dhananjaya de Silva took a low catch. He made one.
Mendis came into the attack in the 32nd over, replacing Jayawickrama and claiming two wickets in two balls to put the West Indies in all sorts of trouble. He struck in the last ball of his first over when Brathwaite was caught at leg-slip.
Brathwaite had looked solid on his way to 41 off 115 deliveries with seven fours and had successfully overturned a decision before tea. “Personally disappointed not to go on after getting a start,” he told reporters. “Hopefully I will make up next time.”
Sri Lanka won toss
Sri Lanka 1st Innings
Pathum Nissanka c Cornwall b Gabriel 56
Dimuth (c) st †Da Silva b Chase 147
Oshada Fernando c Bonner b Chase 3
Angelo Mathews c Holder b Chase 3
Dhananjaya hit wicket b Gabriel 61
Chandimal † c Cornwall b Chase 45
Ramesh c †Da Silva b Warrican 13
Suranga Lakmal lbw b Warrican 11
Dushmantha c Brathwaite b Warrican 3
Lasith c Blackwood b Chase 17
Praveen Jayawickrama not out 8
Extras: (b 5, lb 6, nb 8) 19
TOTAL: (133.5 Ov,) 386/10
Fall: 1-139 (Pathum Nissanka, 49.1 ov), 2-164 (Oshada Fernando, 57.3 ov), 3-170 (Angelo Mathews, 65.1 ov), 4-2-8-1 (Dhananjaya de Silva, 94.4 ov), 5-296 (Dimuth Karunaratne, 99.5 ov), 6-331 (Ramesh Mendis, 112.6 ov), 7-355 (Suranga Lakmal, 124.4 ov), 8-361 (Dinesh Chandimal, 127.4 ov), 9-361 (Dushmantha Chameera, 28.1 ov), 10-386 (Lasith Embuldeniya, 133.5 ov)
Bowling: Shannon Gabriel 19-2-69- 2 Jason Holder 19-9-24-0 Rahkeem Cornwall 27-3-91-0 Kyle Mayers 3-0-9-0 Jomel Warrican 32-5-87-3 Roston Chase 28.5-3-83-5 Jermaine Blackwood 1-0-6-0 Kraigg Brathwaite 4-0-6-0
West Indies 1st Innings
Kraigg (c) c Nissanka b Mendis 41
Jermaine lbw b Embuldeniya 20
Nkrumah c de Silva b Jayawickrama 1
Shai Hope c Fernando b Mendis 10
Roston Chase c Fernando b Mendis 2
Jomel c †Chandimal b Jayawickrama 1
Kyle Mayers not out 22
Jason Holder not out 1
Extras: (b 3, lb 9, nb 2, w 1) 15
Total: (42 Ov,) 113/6
Yet to bat: Jeremy Solozano, Joshua Da Silva †, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shannon Gabriel
Fall: 1-46 (Jermaine Blackwood, 20.1 ov), 2-51 (Nkrumah Bonner, 23.5 ov), 3-80 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 31.6 ov), 4-83 (Shai Hope, 33.1 ov), 5-86 (Jomel Warrican, 36.5 ov), 6-100 (Roston Chase, 39.6 ov)
Bowling: Suranga Lakmal 5-1-6-0 Dushmantha Chameera 4-0-8-0 Lasith Embuldeniya 15-4-39-1 Praveen Jayawickrama 12-4-25-2 Ramesh Mendis 6-1-23-3
Test Debut: Jeremy Solozano (WI)
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena, Ruchira Palliyaguruge