Lanka recover after Windies beamer ban

Mahela Jayawardene and Hashan Tillakaratne rescued Sri Lanka with a century stand on the opening day of the second Test after the West Indies had paceman Colin Stuart forced out of the attack for bowling beamers.

The home side, having won the toss, closed on 193 for five wickets, with Tillakaratne unbeaten on 60, after the final session was washed out by rain.

Jayawardene just missed out on a hundred for the second time in the three-Test series when he was dismissed for 88.

The main drama, however, came in the opening overs of the match when Stuart was barred from bowling for the rest of the innings for hurling two beamers in an over at Sanath Jayasuriya.

That saw West Indies, already struggling with injuries, lose half of their bowling attack within the first hour.

Stuart had been brought on to complete key strike bowler Mervyn Dillon's fourth over after Dillon temporarily retired to the pavilion with a stomach ailment.

Stuart bowled three balls -- one legal delivery sandwiched between two head-high beamers -- at Jayasuriya at the Asgiriya International stadium before being stepped down by umpire John Hampshire.

The over was finally completed by opening batsman Chris Gayle, after eight balls, 14 minutes and the use of three bowlers.

West Indies, who had already gone into the game without injured fast bowler Reon King and who must avoid defeat to keep the three-match series alive, found themselves reduced to just two specialist bowlers, paceman Pedro Collins and leg-spinner Dinanath Ramnarine.

Against the odds they hit back, reducing the Sri Lankans to 85 for four at lunch, before Tillakaratne and Jayawardene took advantage of the touring side's bowling problems.

Jayawardene hit nine fours and a six during a 116-run stand for the fifth wicket before Ramnarine, who earlier took two wickets in his third over, returned in his second spell to dismiss Jayawardene with his fourth ball.

The elegant right-hander tried to force a ball from the spinner and only succeeded in hitting a return catch to make it 169 for five.

Tillakaratne, meanwhile, continued his fine form by stroking his way to his 17th Test fifty and his third in his last four innings.

Tillakaratne reached his half-century with a sweep-pull shot for six and followed it up with a square cut boundary off Ramnarine.

Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 10 wickets.

Mail Cricket Editor