NORTH STAFF, Antigua, GMC – West Indies were left needing ten wickets today to win the second Test and clinch the two-game series after captain Kraigg Brathwaite, his predecessor Jason Holder and rookie Kyle Mayers all grabbed half a century to lead yesterday’s bid clinical victory.
Brathwaite followed his first innings of 126 with a skilful top score of 85 while Holder hit 71 unbeaten and Mayers tempo up 55 as the home team, armed with a frontman of 96, declared their second innings at 280 am four, just over 45 minutes before the closure at Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.
Faced with nine difficult overs at the end, left-backs Lahiru Thirimanne (17 not out) and Dimuth Karunaratne (11 not out) denied West Indies bowlers any success, strengthening Sri Lanka’s chances of salvaging the affair.
The final day visitors will need a further 345 runs to win the contest but will focus more on survival than an unlikely victory.
Brathwaite admitted later that hard work was ahead but urged his side to stay disciplined.
“We wanted to have a few patches tonight, obviously a tough time for openers to bat,” said Brathwaite.
“We wanted to run on them for nine overs and look to get one or two wickets. It didn’t come to light but tomorrow is a very important day for us. ”
He added: “The runs on the board are good. It will not be easy. I still think the pitch is decent so we have to work hard tomorrow and make the West Indies proud. ”
Earlier West Indies had needed all 23 deliveries to wrap up Sri Lanka’s first pubs for 258, sailor Kemar Roach towing Pathum Nissanka for 51 and head-tail Vishwa Fernando not scoring in the space of three balls in the fourth over of the day, to end with three for 58.
But West Indies suffered early on when left-hander John Campbell opened to pace Suranga Lakmal (2-62) in the seventh over, check his defensive stroke and get an edge after falling at 10 with 24 runs on the board .
As he did in the first posts, Brathwaite anchored the pubs, posting 44 for the second wicket with Jermaine Blackwood (18) before inspiring successive half-century standings with Mayers and Holder.
Blackwood, without a significant score in the series, hit two fours in just over an hour in the crease before feathering a cut behind sailor Dushmantha Chameera (2-74), about 25 minutes before lunch.
Brathwaite and Mayers buckled down in a third wicket stand, run by 82, that carried the West Indies to lunch at 69 for two allowing them to flourish in the first hour after the restart.
At nine lunchtimes, Mayers raced to his second half-century Test off 63 balls on the stroke of the drinks break when he sent Lakmal to the mid-wicket boundary.
He had struck out eight fours and faced 76 balls in nearly 1-¾ hour when he got his lbw to Lakmal, in the fourth over following a resumption of drinks.
Brathwaite and Holder then combined in a fourth partnership 87 wicket wickets to put the game further from reaching Sri Lanka, and take the Windies to tea on 173 for three.
Dropping 34 on his short leg off Chameera, Brathwaite went on to hit four fours off 196 balls in five hours while Holder notched his tenth Test fifty, facing only 88 deliveries in 2-¼ hours and counting seven four.
Unbeaten in tea at 60, Brathwaite looked a sure bet for another hundred in the contest before he was bowled trying to clip a full-length delivery of Chameera just hours after tea.
Goalkeeper and wicket-keeper Joshua Da Silva, who was not out at 20 when the statement came, put 53 in a fifth wicket stand without a wicket, throwing further pressure on an already frustrated Sri Lanka late in the day .
