GALLE: Sri Lankan spinners Lasith Embuldeniya and Ramesh Mendis pounced on the West Indian batting line-up, each claiming five-wicket hauls as Sri Lanka thumped West Indies in the second match, here on Friday.
Dhananjaya de Silva and Lasith resumed the proceedings for the side on 328/8 on the final day of the second test. Both batters looked solid, riding on the previous day’s momentum, but they could only add 17 runs to the team’s total before Lasith was castled on a gritty 39 by Jason Holder. The Lions declared their innings on 345/9, setting the Carribeans a target of 297.
Veerasammy Permaul was the standout bowler for the Caribbeans, taking three wickets. Roston Chase claimed two wickets, while Kraigg Brathwaite and Holder each struck out one batter.
In response, West Indian openers Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood failed to get their team off to a good start. After being trapped in his legs by Mendis on 6, Brathwaite found himself walking back to the pavilion.
However, Blackwood and Nkrumah Bonner looked promising as both batters batted sensibly for their 50-run stand before Blackwood was dismissed on 36 Lasith. His wicket started the collapse, and the team started losing wickets at an alarming rate. Bonner, who was looking strong, also fell short when Lasith castled the batter on 44. In the second innings, he remained his team’s leading scorer. West Indies were eventually bowled out for 132, losing the match by 164 runs.
Lasith and Mendis were the Lions’ standout bowlers, both claiming fifer to dismiss the opposition on a low score.
With this victory, Sri Lanka maintained their lead in the ICC World Test Championship points table, with 24 points and a winning percentage of 100 percent as of December 3.
