SL vs WI - 1st Test, Day 2, Galle - Ramesh Mendis (3-23) reduces WI to 113-6; SL lead by 273

Ramesh (3/23), Praveen (2/25) brighten up Sri Lanka's day after losing 7 wickets for 101

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 386 (Karunaratne 147, de Silva 61, Chase 83/5) lead West Indies 113-6 (Brathwaite 41, Mendis 3-23) by 273 runs at Stumps on Day 2

Sri Lanka lead by 273 runs at the stumps of Day 2 (©ICC/GettyImages)

Sri Lanka started the day with a dominating score of 267 for three on the board. Unbeaten batters of the previous day, Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva, were looking to put a huge total on the board.

Sri Lanka lose de Silva and Karunaratne early in the day

However, de Silva got out hit-wicket in an unfortunate manner, while stopping the ball from dislodging the stumps. Right-arm off-spinner Roston Chase beat Karunaratne with turn which gave some time to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva to dismantle the stumps. Karunaratne headed back to the pavilion after registering a score of 147 runs off 300 balls.

Roston Chase completed his five-for to bundle up Sri Lanka on 386

All-rounder Ramesh Mendis joined former skipper Dinesh Chandimal in the middle. Jomel Warrican took the wicket of Mendis on just 13 when he edged a ball to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva while defending an outside off-stump delivery.

Lower-order batter Suranga Lakmal smashed two boundaries but got out leg before wicket off a delivery bowled by Warrican on 11. Chandimal also ended up giving a catch to Cornwall on 45 while playing a reverse sweep which was the fourth wicket of spinner Chase. Sri Lanka continuously lost wickets in the next few over to get all-out on 386. Chase completed his fifer after cleaning up the last wicket of Sri Lanka, Lasith Embuldeniya on 17.

Read More: SL vs WI - 1st Test, Day 1 Highlights – Karunaratne’s unbeaten-132 peppers SL to 267-3 at stumps

Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood start cautiously for WI

West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood opened the batting for West Indies. Sri Lanka skipper Karunaratne brought spinners into the attack early in the innings from one end. Both openers stuck to the pitch in the first 20 overs in front of spinners Praveen Jayawickrama and Embuldeniya.

After that, Embuldeniya trapped Blackwood in front of the stumps plumb on 20 which opened the gates of the batting-order of the Caribbean team. This wicket was followed by the wicket of Nkrumah Bonner on just 1 by spinner Jayawickrama.

Ramesh Mendis floors Caribbean batting line-up

Sri Lanka spinners weaved a web of spin and close-catching fielders to trap Caribbean batters which resulted in Brathwaite ending up giving a catch to the leg-slip fielder Pathum Nissanka on 41 in the first over of off-spinner Ramesh Mendis.

Also, the spinner scalped his next wicket on the first ball of the next over, as Oshada Fernando took a quick catch at short leg of Shai Hope on 10. As West Indies are playing one player short due to injury to debutant Jeremy Solozano, the Sri Lanka spinners already reached the tail-end of the Caribbean batting line-up with two wickets of Jomel Warrican and Chase.

West Indies finished the day on 113 after losing six wickets. As Sri Lanka looked in complete control in this match, tomorrow they would be looking towards bundling out West Indies quickly. It remains to be seen whether Sri Lanka ask West Indies to follow on if the latter get bundled out under 187 or they bat again.

Read More: SL vs WI - 1st Test, Day 1, Highlights – Karunaratne’s unbeaten-132 peppers SL to 267-3 at stumps