Sri Lanka (386 & 191/4d) defeat West Indies (230 & 160) by 187 runs to win the 1st Test

[Devadwal]

West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite(c), Jermaine Blackwood, Jeremy Solozano, Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva(w), Rahkeem Cornwall, Jomel Warrican, Shannon Gabriel

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal(w), Ramesh Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayawickrama

Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted

==

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[Devadwal]

SL 29/0 , good start in testing condition .

 

[globalcitizen]

SL pitches are good because it has something for batters and bowlers and any visiting team with right combination can win here. Curators should be appreciated

 

[Devadwal]

Total domination by Srilankan openers at this moment .SL 94-0

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#55357;&#57000;Injury Update &#55357;&#57000; Debutant Jeremy Solozano was stretchered off the field after receiving a blow to his helmet while fielding. <br><br>He has been taken to the hospital for scans. We are hoping for a speedy recovery &#55357;&#56911;&#55356;&#57341;<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SLvWI</a> <a href="https://t.co/3xD6Byz1kf">pic.twitter.com/3xD6Byz1kf</a></p>— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/windiescricket/status/1462313062678024192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Babeikh]

I think Bangladesh can learn a thing or two from Sri Lanka RE the pitches they produce.

In fact they should just get the Sri Lankan curators over to Bangladesh on the next available opportunity and get them to micro manage and teach the Bangladeshi curators.

Anyway, good start for Sri Lanka and speedy recovery to Jeremy Solanzo

 

[Devadwal]

Westindies want minimum 2 more wickets before Stump

 

[Bull]

Dimuth Karunaratne is only world class player in srilanka's team.
Probably the best opener in the world.

 

[Saj]

Sri Lanka with the upper hand.

400 plus and Windies will be under pressure.

 

[Ab Fan]

Sri Lanka have some good batters like Karunaratne, Nissunka and Chandimal. However, they lack in bowling department.

Embuldeniya is the only quality spinner they had for home conditions, he had good success vs England in the home series.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&#55357;&#57000; UPDATE&#55357;&#57000;<br><br>Jeremy Solozano’s scans show no structural damage. He will be kept at the hospital overnight for observation &#55357;&#56911;&#55356;&#57341;<br><br>We will continue to keep you posted on any further updates from our Medical team. <br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SLvWI?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SLvWI</a> <a href="https://t.co/6pLuLXnIrt">pic.twitter.com/6pLuLXnIrt</a></p>— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/windiescricket/status/1462373218258407425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

SL 267/3 (88) CRR: 3.03
Day 1: Stumps

 

[MenInG]

A century opening stand and a hundred from Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne puts the hosts in drivers seat with mammoth first innings total on the cards at Galle.

Sri Lanka finished the opening day with 267/3 on the board with Karunaratne going strong on 132* and Dhananjaya de Silva building on 56* before umpires called stumps after 88 overs of play. Roston Chase proved to be the pick of the bowlers, snaring two wickets for 42 runs.

Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bat, and was joined by Pathum Nissanka to open the innings. The pair moved to 17/0 at the five over mark, both hitting a boundary apiece.

Unable to make an early breakthrough, the West Indies turned to the off-spin of Rahkeem Cornwall, who kept things tight against the right/left combination.

Nissanka, who impressed at the T20 World Cup with his aggressive style, made a seamless transition back to red-ball action, comfortable in nullifying the opposition new ball threat.

The Sri Lanka openers' start had West Indies on the backfoot, going wicketless in the first session with Karunaratne on 32* and Nissanka on 25*.

West Indies got their opportunity after Lunch. Shanon Gabriel pitched the ball wide and full, and Nissanka took the bait -- edging to Rahkeem Cornwall at first slip -- after a well-made 140-ball 56.

Sri Lanka captain was joined by Oshada Fernando in the middle. Karunaratne continued to punish the wayward bowling from West Indies at a faster rate. The skipper got to his half-century and inched towards the three-figure mark before the third session.

102 runs came for the hosts before Tea in the second session, taking them to 163/1.

However, the story changed at the start of the final session. Roston Chase worked his magic to get the wicket of Oshada Fernando with the help of Nkrumah Bonner who caught a brilliant catch at short leg.

In tandem, Jason Holder contained the batters with four maidens back-to-back and as pressure mounted, Angelo Mathews holed out in the deep off Chase's bowling.

Despite a period of regular wickets slowing down the scoring, Karunaratne then partnered with Dhananjaya de Silva to restore control.

Karunaratne continued on his rich vein of form and smashed his third consecutive Test hundred in three matches. Dhananjaya too joined the party with a half-century to restrict any further damage before the end of play.

 

[sweep_shot]

Great day for Sri Lanka (predictably).

They should get a big win.

 

[MenInG]

SL 386
WI 9/0 (3.3) CRR: 2.57
Day 2: 2nd Session - West Indies trail by 377 runs

 

[sweep_shot]

Sri Lanka - 386-all out.
West Indies - 113/6 (42 overs).

West Indies are trailing by 273 runs.

Stumps for day 2.

 

[sam_ahm]

West Indies team doesn't look up to test standards.

I've been observing for a while now and they consistently get bundled out for 100-150 almost everytime.

For a team that produced the likes of Lara, Richards, Chanderpaul, Lloyd.. This is a terrible terrible shame.

Also shows cricket is going nowhere as a sport. Test cricket is literally finished outside of 5-6 nations.

 

[MenInG]

The spin trio of Praveen Jayawickrama, Ramesh Mendis and Lasith Embuldeniya did all the damage as West Indies struggled to 113/6 on day two, trailing by 273 runs.

With Sri Lanka starting the day on 267/3, West Indies needed early breakthroughs to stifle the flow of runs and restrict the hosts to a reasonable total. Shannon Gabriel did just that in the 95th over, with Dhananjaya de Silva getting out on a freak dismissal. He smashed the stumps with his bat in an attempt to stop the ball from bouncing onto the sticks. This brought an end to his knock of 61 ending the vital partnership with skipper Karunaratne.

The wicket of Karunaratne soon followed suit as he was stumped off the bowling of Roston Chase. Nonetheless, his exceptional knock of 147 firmly put the hosts in a strong position in the contest.

Ramesh Mendis who joined Dinesh Chandimal at the crease, too couldn't last long as an excellent flighted delivery from Warrican caught his thumb into the hands of the keeper. Sri Lanka would end the session on 341/6, hoping to add some crucial runs after lunch.

The visitors had to be patient in an effort to get some wickets in the bank after the break, as Suranga Lakmal and Chandimal batted well to mount a stern defence. But Warrican would prove to be the man to deliver the wicket again, trapping Lakmal in front of the stumps for 11. Spin would do the damage once again as Chandimal's handy knock of 45 was brought to an end by Roston Chase.

Chameera came and went for 3, attempting a big one against Warrican who celebrated another scalp after struggling with his discipline in the morning session. Lasith Embuldeniya would then frustrate the visitors with a handy cameo of 17 before mistiming one straight into the hands of Jermaine Blackwood as Chase would complete his five-for. The Windies would then head to tea unscathed at 12/0.

Blackwood and Brathwaite would continue in the same vein at the start of the final session, playing each and every delivery on its merit. But spin would do damage for the hosts as tight spells from Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama finally reaped rewards.

Embuldeniya struck first, trapping Blackwood in front of the stumps. Blackwood appealed the call but to no success as replays showed that the ball would be crashing into middle and leg, bringing an end to his knock of 20.

Bonner then struggled in his brief stay at the crease, finally perishing against Jayawickrama. The delivery from the spinner turned sharply off the wicket, catching Bonner's edge and Dhananjaya de Silva did not make any mistakes in the slip to send the batter back to the pavilion for 1.

Brathwaite and Hope would then steady the ship for the visitors for the next hour or so and it seemed that they would head into stumps losing only two wickets. But the off-spin of Ramesh Mendis brought about a massive breakthrough for Sri Lanka, as his delivery on leg stump got him the wicket of the Windies skipper. Trying to play it fine, Brathwaite ended up guiding the ball straight into the hands of Nissanka at leg-slip, who took a sharp grab.

Mendis would strike again in his very next over and in consecutive deliveries to be on a hat-trick after getting Shai Hope out for 10. Oshada Fernando took a fantastic catch to bring about the dismissal as the Lankans were well and truly on top as the end of the day edged closer.

Two more wickets would then fall before the close of play, with Warrican being snapped up by Jayawickrama for 1 and Mendis picking up another one with the crucial strike of Chase, who would fall for 2.

The visitors would end the day in deep trouble on 113/6, still trailing by 273 runs.

 

[Saj]

Innings defeat on the cards. Even if that doesn't happen, it still looks like a hammering.

 

[waheed_sofi]

At Lunch 215-8.
Great Comeback by WI.
Their Lower middle order is better than all top order bar brathwaite
Where is Darren Bravo? Why isn't he in the squad. Surely, he would do better than this Nikruma guy

 

[MenInG]

At Lunch 215-8.
Great Comeback by WI.
Their Lower middle order is better than all top order bar brathwaite
Where is Darren Bravo? Why isn't he in the squad. Surely, he would do better than this Nikruma guy

Rakheem the man!

33* off 43 balls so far.

SL 386
WI 215/8 (75) CRR: 2.87
Day 3: Lunch Break - West Indies trail by 171 runs

 

[sweep_shot]

Sri Lanka - 386-all out.
West Indies - 224/9.

West Indies are trailing by 162 runs.

Stumps for day 3.

 

[MenInG]

West Indies battled their way to 224/9 to avoid the follow on before persistent rain led to virtually no play being possible in Galle after the lunch interval on day three.

Starting the day on 113/6, West Indies needed a collective effort from the lower-order batters in their bid to avoid the follow on. They got just that from Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, Rakhkeem Cornwall and Joshua da Silva who all made significant contributions with the bat.

Mayers and Holder first established a 63-run stand at a decent pace, counter-attacking the Sri Lankan spinners. Mayers was the first one to depart on 45 with Karunaratne taking an excellent catch at short cover with Dhananjaya de Silva celebrating the scalp.

Holder soon departed soon after with another brilliant effort in the field, this time from Chameera, with Jayawickrama scalping his third to bring an end to the former captain's knock of 36.

Cornwall then adopted the aggressive route with some cracking shots, as West Indies headed to lunch at 215/8 adding 102 runs in the session.

Cornwall departed relatively early after lunch as his eyes lit up after seeing a short delivery from Ramesh Mendis. He couldn't resist playing the pull and the catch was gleefully accepted by the backtracking fielder at midwicket. Nonetheless, his knock of 39 proved to be of massive importance, helping West Indies save the follow-on.

Rain then interrupted play immediately after as the covers came onto the field for a short delay. Despite things looking sunny at one point, the rain kept playing hide and seek for the remainder of the day, with the umpires eventually calling off play.

The Windies will resume tomorrow hoping to add some more vital runs, while Lanka will aim to wrap things up as quickly as possible.

 

[sweep_shot]

Good day 3 for West Indies.

Still a long way to go for them.

 

[transparent opacity]

23 rd November, 2021
Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce that 50 percent of the spectators out of the maximum capacity of the Galle International Cricket Stadium will be allowed to enter the ground to witness the ongoing test series played between Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Accordingly, crowds will be allowed to enter the ground from tomorrow, which is the 4th day of the ongoing 01st Test Match. However, only those who are fully vaccinated against the Covid-19 infection as per the current vaccination protocols will be permitted entry to witness the match. Spectators should carry the proof of vaccination (either the card or in digital form) and should have completed the 2nd vaccination, at least 14 days prior to entering the ground.

 

[Bewal Express]

Why do the Windies even bother with test cricket. Its a team that no one wants to play for, and the ones that do see it as a stepping stone to T20 cricket. The legacy of Sobers and Richards destroyed in 2 decades

 

[Shaka81]

It's really sad watching the current West Indies team. The test team hasn't been any good in a long time and now even the T20 team has started to decline. It's hard to see how they could ever improve with such a lack of interest in playing international cricket. Most of their players would rather play T20 franchise leagues and even CWI are only interested in promoting the CPL.

 

[MenInG]

WI 230
SL 386 & 47/2 (14.1) CRR: 3.32
Day 4: 1st Session - Sri Lanka lead by 203 runs

 

[Marathonrunner]

WestIndies in dire straits , needing 347 they are 29/6, sad to see the WestIndies side current state today . I believe they can only play T20

 

[sweep_shot]

West Indies - 52/6 (target: 348).

They have been poor.

 

[Saj]

Shambolic stuff from Windies.

52/6 and still need 296 runs to win.

 

[Saj]

Sri Lanka are just four wickets away from a win, having reduced West Indies to 52/6 at stumps on day four at Galle.

The rain kept players in the dressing rooms as the start of play was delayed. Once action on day four began, it didn't take Sri Lanka too long to wrap up the West Indies innings, with Praveen Jayawickrama trapping Shannon Gabriel in front of the stumps to complete his four-for. The Windies added only five runs to their overnight score and were bundled out for 230, giving the hosts a lead of 156 runs.

West Indies chose to operate with spin at one end right from the beginning and the move paid immediate dividends. After two close chances in the third over, Pathum Nissanka's luck ran out as Shai Hope completed a good diving catch at leg slip.

With lots of spin on offer on the fourth-day surface, the spinners induced many false shots and created several wicket-taking chances.

Oshada Fernando's stay at the crease didn't last too long, with Jomel Warrican trapping him leg before wicket.

Angelo Mathews joined Dimuth Karunaratne at the crease and with the ball getting older, run-scoring became a lot easier for the experienced duo. The two batters started to find the boundaries more frequently and ensured that Sri Lanka go into lunch without losing more wickets with a healthy lead of 240.

They continued to show good intent even after the break, finding two fours in the two overs to keep the pressure on the West Indies bowlers. Mathews and Karunaratne soon switched gears and went into white-ball mode, with the six overs between 29-34 fetching them 49 runs, including eight boundaries.

Karunaratne's rich vein of form continued as he brought up his half-century, registering a 50+ score for a sixth innings in a row. Mathews wasn't one to be left behind as he too got to his fifty in 70 balls.

In dire need of a wicket, Rahkeem Cornwall answered West Indies' call by breaking the 123-run stand between the two, scalping the wicket of Karunaratne for 83. One wicket brought two for the visitors as Warrican completed a simple caught and bowled to dismiss Dhananjaya de Silva.

With declaration on the horizon, Mathews sent a couple of balls over the ropes. Sri Lanka soon declared the innings on 191/4, setting West Indies a target of 348.

Ramesh Mendis struck early for Sri Lanka, with Kraigg Brathwaite making the long walk back for a duck, which began the steady procession of wickets.

Jermaine Blackwood got a lifeline after he was dropped at slips but he didn't make much of the reprieve as Mathews completed a good, low catch three balls later.

Mendis and Embuldeniya went through the defences of Shai Hope and Roston Chase respectively and rattled the stumps. Mendis was on a hattrick in his next over, with Kyle Mayers and Jason Holder dismissed off consecutive balls as West Indies lost six wickets for with just 18 runs on the board.

Nkrumah Bonner and Joshua Da Silva ensured no more wickets fall on the day as they put on an unbeaten 34-run partnership before bad light forced umpires to call it a day.

 

[sweep_shot]

Spinner Ramesh Mendis seems impressive. Took 4 wickets in 2nd innings. Took 3 wickets in 1st innings.

Good find for Sri Lanka.

 

[sam_ahm]

WI were 18/6 at one stage.

If smaller teams (Ban, Ire, Zim, Afg) perform like this their test status gets questioned and no one wants to play them, but what exactly does WI bring to the table here?

Not many teams left to play competitive test cricket.

 

[Kianig89]

WI looks disinterested in test cricket their matches have become one sided contest

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

WI were 18/6 at one stage.

If smaller teams (Ban, Ire, Zim, Afg) perform like this their test status gets questioned and no one wants to play them, but what exactly does WI bring to the table here?

Not many teams left to play competitive test cricket.

Remember they drew a test series against Pakistan 1-1 in their backyard. that is far from being disqualified from test status. They are far better than Bangladesh, Zimbbwe or AFG

 

[MenInG]

SL 386 & 191/4 d
WI 230 & 53/6 (27.4) CRR: 1.92
Day 5: 1st Session - West Indies need 295 runs

 

[MenInG]

SL 386 & 191/4 d
WI 230 & 94/6 (47.1) CRR: 1.99
Day 5: 1st Session - West Indies need 254 runs

 

[Devadwal]

This is some recovery by WI but still Sri Lanka in touching distance to win this test match. They Just need to break this partnership rest will bundled out soon

 

[MenInG]

SL 386 & 191/4 d
WI 230 & 125/7 (61) CRR: 2.05
Day 5: Lunch Break - West Indies need 223 runs

 

[MenInG]

SL 386 & 191/4 d
WI 230 & 160

Sri Lanka won by 187 runs

PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Dimuth Karunaratne

 

[MenInG]

West Indies, who were 18/6 at one point on day four, showed tremendous grit but could not avoid defeat as Sri Lanka wrapped up the innings in the second session of day five to take a 1-0 series lead.

Starting from an overnight score of 52/6, Joshua Da Silva and Nkrumah Bonner continued their resistance against the Sri Lankan spinners.

Both the batters were extremely cautious in their approach, not scoring a single boundary in the first 16 overs of play after which they decided to take the attack to the bowlers, scoring four boundaries in the next six overs. They soon brought up the team hundred, which yesterday looked like a distant possibility when they were at 18/6.

Though the bowlers did manage to create chances frequently, Da Silva and Bonner found ways to survive. Bonner was given a reprieve by Pathum Nissanka, who spilt a diving catch at covers.

Da Silva brought up his third Test half-century but as soon as they got to the 100-run partnership, Lasith Embuldeniya crucially struck for Sri Lanka a few overs before lunch. He got the ball to spin away from the right-hander, who edged it to the safe hands of Dhananjaya de Silva at slips.

Rahkeem Cornwall joined Bonner in the middle and the two took West Indies safely to lunch at 125/7.

After the break, Bonner continued to live dangerously, surviving a DRS appeal for an LBW and then was given another lifeline through a dropped catch, with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne the culprit this time.

Cornwall eventually became a victim of his instincts as he was lured into a big shot by a flighted delivery by Praveen Jayawickrama. Suranga Lakmal completed a good catch at long-on to take Sri Lanka within touching distance of a win.

Embuldeniya wrapped up the game with wickets in consecutive overs to complete his five-for. Bonner could only watch from the other end as he was left stranded on 68* off 220 balls.

The win by 187 runs gave Sri Lanka a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series and takes them to the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 table.

 

[sweep_shot]

West Indies did well to reach 160. They were 18/6.

Congratulations, Sri Lanka.