Sri Lanka have Windies in trouble

Sri Lanka completed a slow day of dominance by reducing West Indies to nine for one in their second innings at the close of the fourth day of the first Test on Friday.

Opener Chris Gayle was removed for one to leave the visitors trailing by 133 runs after Sri Lanka had earlier piled up a substantial first innings of 590 for nine declared, their highest total in Tests against West Indies.

It was the first time Sri Lanka had topped 500 against the West Indies, and they have passed 500 in each of their last three Tests after scoring 610-6 declared against India and 555-5 declared against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya wants his side to press hard for victory on the final day, adding that Brian Lara and Carl Hooper would be the key West Indies batsmen.

"If we can get them out early, I think we'll have a very good chance," he said.

"The pitch is not like the last test we played here. It is a hard wicket and batsmen can get a big score.

"It has slow turn but, on the fifth day, we expect it to turn more. It is not easy to get wickets on this pitch, but we will try our best.

Hashan Tillakaratne became the second century-maker of the innings, with 105 not out, and Tilan Samaraweera contributed 77 as Sri Lanka comfortably overhauled the West Indies first innings of 448.

But Tillakaratne spent six and a half hours over his eighth Test hundred, hitting just three fours in 247 balls, as he and Samaraweera put on 154 painstaking runs for the sixth wicket, a Sri Lankan record against West Indies.

CAUTIOUS APPROACH

The hosts adopted a cautions approach, Samaraweera hitting his only boundary after 105 balls and 137 minutes when he lofted left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell to long-off.

The batting was so pedestrian that not a boundary was scored for 36 overs, the trend only being broken when Tillakaratne hit McGarrell over his head to reach his half-century in 206 minutes off 142 balls.

Samaraweera, who made a century on debut against India two months ago, went to his 50 shortly before tea, taking 136 balls to reach the milestone.

Samaraweera finally departed when he edged the fast bowling of Colin Stuart behind for 77, having hit one boundary in 181 balls.

Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya defended his side's sluggish batting approach: "We were looking at a lead of over 150 because we didn't want to bat again.

"That was why we batted for nearly the whole day. But we are happy we got a 142-run lead. We declared and then got a quick wicket."

Left-handed number three Kumar Sangakkara had set Sri Lanka's cautious tone for the day when he could only add 14 runs in 65 balls to his overnight score before being dismissed for 140.

He was run out by Daren Ganga at backward point, after hesitating when trying to take a sharp single.

Sangakkara, who hit 16 fours in 373 balls after just under nine hours at the crease, had earlier survived a chance on 126 when he was dropped at slip by Chris Gayle off the pace bowling of Mervyn Dillon.

Mail Cricket Editor