ICC World Test Championship 2021/22

Day 2, 2nd Test: Sri Lanka 204; West Indies 69-1

Venue: Galle International Stadium

Toss: Sri Lanka won toss and elected to bat

Scoreboard: https://www.windiescricket.com/matches/209558/

Veerasammy Permaul took the first five-wicket haul of his Test career to put West Indies on top after the second day, which was again affected by rain. The left-arm spinner ran through the Sri Lanka batting and ended with brilliant figures of 5-35 from 13 overs.

Sri Lanka started the day on 113-1 and moved to 139-1 before Permaul and fellow left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican triggered a collapse which saw the last nine wickets fall for 65 runs. Warrican claimed 4-50 and was the perfect partner for Permaul at the other end. The other wicket went to off-spinner Roston Chase, making it the fourth time in history that West Indies spinners claimed all 10 wickets in an innings.

“I tried to adjust to the conditions. I tried to get what pace is good to bowl in this wicket. I was able to make that adjustment and have control and try to spin the ball as much as possible. Warrican bowled very well at the other end and was controlling the batsmen and that helped me a lot and slowed the scoring rate. He was tight at one end and I was able to attack at the other end and that helped to form a really good partnership,” Permaul said.

Opener Pathum Nissanka topscored and Oshada Fernando started the day for the home team and the first wicket fell when Fernando edged to keeper Joshua Da Silva for 18. From this point the left-arm spin duo combined superbly as Sri Lanka collapsed. Permaul’s excellent day began with a double strike in the second over of his spell. Firstly he trapped top scorer Nissanka (73) leg-before wicket, before getting Dhananjaya de Silva (2) caught behind.

In the middle of the West Indies spin dominance, Sri Lanka lost Angelo Mathews injured as he hobbled off the ground after running a single. Warrican was back in the act with two more of his own, dismissing Dinesh Chandimal (2) and Ramesh Mendis (5) in consecutive overs. Permaul then snapped up the next two wickets of Lasith Embuldeniya and Suranga Lakmal to bring up his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket as West Indies then headed to lunch at 2-0. 

The openers – Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood would then steadily bat in the second session, treating the deliveries on their merit. They also looked relatively comfortable against the Sri Lankan spinners, registering the West Indies first 50-run opening stand for 15 innings. Blackwood was closing in on his half-century when Praveen Jayawickrama produced a delivery which pitched on middle and leg, straightened enough to trap Blackwood leg-before. He made 44 off 99 balls with five fours.

Brathwaite will resume on Wednesday on 22 not out which has come off 77 balls, and with him Nkrumah Bonner on one, as they start the third day 135 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first innings score.

–CWI