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Toss won by West Indies (decided to bat)
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Day 1 round-up: Shane Dowrich led yet another West Indies rearguard with an unbeaten half-century as the West Indies rallied from 53 for five to reach stumps at 132 without further loss on a rain-hit opening day of the third and final Test match. Almost half of the scheduled overs were lost to intermittent showers as day/night Test cricket came to the Caribbean for the first time, three years after the first such fixture was played between Australia and neighbours New Zealand in Adelaide. Having already played a vital role in the series with an unbeaten 125 that rescued the West Indies in the first innings of the series in Trinidad two weeks earlier, the wicketkeeper-batsman’s rich vein of form continued on his home ground Saturday at the Kensington Oval. His assured innings of 60 not out was well supported by Jason Holder, the West Indies captain contributing 33 not out in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 79 and going some way towards justifying his decision to bat first on a green pitch, notwithstanding the struggles faced by the home side’s top order against a Sri Lankan attack spearheaded by stand-in skipper Suranga Lakmal. Appointed to lead the tourists with regular captain Dinesh Chandimal suspended for the match after being found guilty of ball tampering during the second Test in St Lucia, Lakmal swiftly dispensed with openers Devon Smith and Kraigg Brathwaite on a grassy pitch. Lahiru Kumara, Sri Lanka’s top bowler of the series, then removed Kieran Powell cheaply as well to have the home side reeling at eight for three. A one-hour break for rain offered some respite to the home batsmen but when play resumed Kasun Rajitha followed up on an encouraging debut in the second Test by dismissing Roston Chase immediately upon coming into the attack. When Rajitha accounted for Hope at the start of the second session, West Indian prospects of a decent first innings total looked grim, especially with the trend over the previous nine day/night Test matches in other parts of the world for bowlers to hold sway with the pink ball during the twilight period. But Dowrich and Hope batted with relative ease and will be looking to extend what has already been a productive partnership deep into the second day. Lakmal, the first seamer ever to lead Sri Lanka in a Test, wasted no time in making the most of the sporting track earlier in the afternoon when play got underway in bright sunshine. Smith stabbed at the last delivery of the first over of the match and Dhananjaya de Silva showed a safe pair of hands to come up with the catch at third slip. Danushka Gunathilaka, brought in effectively as Chandimal’s replacement in the middle-order, then showed good athleticism in sprinting in from cover-point and diving forward to take the catch millimetres from the turf as Brathwaite could not control a delivery from Lakmal which lifted sharply at the batsman. Kumara was also grateful for the support from his fielders when Kusal Mendis held a good low catch at second slip when Powell pushed at a full-length delivery without covering the ball properly. Then after impressing with an expansive cover-driven boundary before the rain-break, Chase was bowled in Rajitha’s first over, dragging a delivery onto his middle stump. Off-spinning all-rounder Dilruwan Perera, who has replaced Akila Dananjaya in Sri Lanka’s other change from the drawn second Test, bowled the final over of the session but, as expected that the visitors relied heavily on their three seamers in between the showers in seeking to lay the foundations for a series-levelling victory. Those expectations would have been boosted when Hope fell to Rajitha via another sharp Mendis slip catch. However the Sri Lankans were left frustrated deep into the night both by the resistance of Dowrich and Holder and the frequent interruptions by inclement weather. With Chandimal already ruled out, any thoughts of recalling Rangana Herath for this must-win final match of the tour ended on Friday when the experienced left-arm spinner split the webbing in his bowling hand during catching practice on the eve of the Test.
Commentary (Sri Lanka innings)
6.1 K Roach to Udawatte, No run. 16/1
Danushka Gunathilaka is in quite some pain and the physio comes to the middle to check upon him.
5.6 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, Ouch! Mind you, those blows are telling. This one pitches on a length on off and takes off like it has done on numerous occasions as well. Gunathilaka comes forward trusting the pace and bounce of this surface and pays the price. Tries to drive it down the ground but misses to get hit on the box region. He has a look of anguish on his face and takes some time to gather himself. 16/1
5.5 S Gabriel to Udawatte, On a length on middle and leg, tucked to mid-wicket for a run. 16/1
5.4 S Gabriel to Udawatte, Four Leg Byes! Gabriel is struggling with his rhythm. Once again, he slips this one down the leg side. Udawatte tries to flick it but misses. The ball brushes his pads and flies behind. Dowrich has a lot of work to do as he dives to his right but the ball flies past him to reach the fence. 15/1
5.3 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, The ball hits the batsman low on the pads. The batsmen have run through for a single. A leg bye given by the umpire. 11/1
5.2 S Gabriel to Udawatte, Well played! Overpitched delivery on middle, Udawatte gets to the pitch of it and caresses it through mid on. The fielder hares after it and saves a run for his side. 10/1
5.1 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, An appeal for an LBW falls on deaf ears! Gabriel goes wider of the crease and angles in a full length ball sharply. Danushka falls over a bit and gets struck on the pads as he misses his flick shot. The ball rolls towards fine leg as the Windies shout in unison. The umpire shakes his head. That was probably going down leg. A leg bye results! 7/1
4.6 K Roach to Udawatte, Tentative! Length ball, angling in. Udawatte tries to push it off the back foot but gets an inside edge onto his pads. 6/1
4.5 K Roach to Udawatte, Length ball outside off, Mahela doesn't fiddle with it. 6/1
4.4 K Roach to Udawatte, Harmless delivery well outside off, left alone. 6/1
4.3 K Roach to Udawatte, In the probing channel outside off, Udawatte lets it go. 6/1
As Roach was about to deliver, a security personnel moved right across the sightscreen.
4.2 K Roach to Udawatte, The batsman has played that off the front foot and into the ground. 6/1
4.1 K Roach to Udawatte, Fuller length ball, defended solidly off the front foot. 6/1
4.1 K Roach to Udawatte, Wide! Roach goes for the bouncer but it very short. Dowrich has to leap to collect it. Wide signaled for height. 6/1
3.6 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, Almost, almost! Gabriel angles this one across the batsman on a good length. Gunathilka tries to drive it down the ground, perhaps the confidence that he gathered from the boundary making him to do so. This time his head position is not correct and the ball whizzes past his outside edge. 5/1
3.5 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, The ball is down the leg side but the batsman still goes after it. 5/1
3.4 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, FOUR! Sublime! High elbow, steady head, precise footwork - that stroke had everything. On a length around off, Gunathilaka comes forward confidently and just pushes it down the ground. The timing is spot on and the ball whistles away to the fence. He is off the mark in a nice way. 5/1
3.3 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, Gabriel has lost his rhythm. Slips this down the leg side, Danushka tries to glance it again but misses. 1/1
3.2 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, Much better from Gabriel! He bowls this one on a length in the tight off stump corridor. Gunathilaka tries to work it across but wears it on his thigh pads. Gabriel starts to appeal but soon realizes it is too high. 1/1
3.1 S Gabriel to Gunathilaka, Great take from Dowrich! This one is way down the leg side, Danushka tries to flick it away but misses. Dowrich moves to his right and leaps to take it in his gloves. 1/1
2.6 K Roach to Gunathilaka, Leg bye! Full delivery, swinging down the leg side. Danushka tries to flick it away but is hit on the pads. The ball rolls towards square leg and the batsmen steal a run. Productive over for Roach and Windies. 1/1
2.5 K Roach to Gunathilaka, Roach opts to pitch this one full, Gunathilaka covers the line and defends it. 0/1
2.4 K Roach to Gunathilaka, Back of a length ball in line of the stumps, kept out watchfully. 0/1
Danushka Gunathilaka comes out to bat.
2.3 K Roach to Perera, OUT! Roach draws first blood! He troubled Perera in his previous over and proves to be his downfall this time around. He bowls a length ball in the corridor of uncertainty and gets it to move away a touch. The ball also doesn't bounce as much as Kusal expects. He attempts a tame push through the line but only manages to get a thin inside edge. Dowrich moves to his left to complete a regulation catch. The opener's trouble outside the off stump has been exploited once again. Just the start the Windies were striving for. 0/1
2.2 K Roach to Perera, This one comes in with the natural angle and goes past Perera's attempted flick shot to catch him on the pads. 0/0
2.1 K Roach to Perera, Roach steams in from around the wicket and bowls a fuller length ball around off. The ball swings away late as Perera watches it through carefully. After that, Ian Gould quietly examines the danger area. 0/0
We are back for the second session. Mahela Udawatte and Kusal Perera to continue their innings. Kemar Roach to continue his spell after Tea.
... Day 2, Session 2 ...
They played their shots and kept the Lankan bowlers at bay for a while. However, once Dowrich misjudged the length of Kumara's delivery, the pages started to unfold. Holder posted his 7th half century in Test cricket but he too couldn't hang around for long. Sri Lanka's skipper, Suranga Lakmal, chose not to bowl after his initial burst this afternoon for some reason and kept the youngsters, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha at it. The rewards came in thick and fast as the last 5 wickets were removed with just more 72 runs added to the overnight total. Post-Tea session can make or break the match for either of the two teams. Have a snack or a cuppa tea, we'll see you on the other side of the break.
Sri Lanka have managed to scrape through these nervy 10 minutes. The ball is doing a lot off the pitch and in the air, and the Windies bowlers will make the visiting batsmen dance around. Let me take you through this session in a jiffy. The afternoon showers meant that we had a delayed start but the sun came out soon enough. The play started with the Windies duo from the last night carrying forward the momentum.
1.6 S Gabriel to Udawatte, Good length ball around middle and off, Udawatte hangs back in his crease looking to block it but misses. The ball hits his pad and goes in the hands of the fielder at short leg. No appeal from the Windies camp and hence, the umpire removes the bails to signal for the TEA BREAK! 0/0
1.5 S Gabriel to Udawatte, Mahela fails to get bat on that one and is hit on the pad. 0/0
1.4 S Gabriel to Udawatte, Safe! Yes, the height is the factor which helps Udawatte. The hosts lose a review. Gabriel pushes this one in from 'round the wicket and into the stumps. The ball pitches on off and skids off from the pitch. Mahela looks to get behind the line but the ball hits his front pad. Shannon is confident and so is Jason Holder, who goes for the review immediately. The replays roll in. The Hawk Eye reveals that the ball is going over the stumps by some margin, plus the angle would have taken it down the leg side. Testing stuff from Shannon. 0/0
An LBW appeal turned down. Jason Holder goes for the review against Mahela Udawatte. Height looks to be the issue. Let's wait for the Hawk Eye.
1.3 S Gabriel to Udawatte, Full around middle and leg, Mahela comes forward and keeps it out. 0/0
1.2 S Gabriel to Udawatte, The ball is way wide on the leg side but Udawatte still goes after it and misses. 0/0
1.1 S Gabriel to Udawatte, In the air... and just drops short! Gabriel is right on the money from the word go. A fuller delivery around off. Mahela pushes at it half-heartedly and edges it. But fortunately for him, the ball drops just short of Devon Smith at first slip. The opener survives a scare. 0/0
Shannon Gabriel to share the new ball.
0.6 K Roach to Perera, Outside off, left alone by taking his bat away from the line. 0/0
0.5 K Roach to Perera, Comes in with the angle from a good length and hits Perera on his pads. Nervy start for the left-hander. 0/0
0.4 K Roach to Perera, Perera chooses to leave the ball outside his off stump. 0/0
0.3 K Roach to Perera, OOH! I am not sure if this should be counted as a good leave or not. Just short on off and Kusal gets his hands up to let it pass. The ball goes over the stumps and into the keeper's hands. 0/0
0.2 Roach to Perera, On a good length in the line of the stumps, Perera looks to defend it but misses as the ball hits his pads. 0/0
0.1 K Roach to Perera, What a start from Roach. Beautiful. Starts from around the wicket and angles it in. The ball pitches and straightens after pitching. Kusal lets it be and it goes agonizingly close to the stumps. Good leave in the end. 0/0
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