Lara Fails But West Indies Beat Sri Lanka in First Test

ST JOHN’S (Antigua): West Indies beat Sri Lanka by six wickets on the third day of the first Test, June 15, to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. It was a low scoring match where bowlers dominated; in one day as many as 17 wickets fell. The West Indian Curtly Ambrose not only reached a Test wickets landmark of 300 wickets but did his fans and country proud by breaking the backbone of the tough Sri Lankan batting lineup twice in the match.

Scores: Sri Lanka 223 and 152, West Indies 189 and 189-4.

Ambrose dragged West Indies back into contention as 17 wickets fell on an extraordinary second day at the Recreation Ground. He added three more victims to his first innings haul of five for 37 as Sri Lanka lost seven wickets in the final session to limp to 151 for eight in their second innings, rounded off the next day with just one more run added. Sri Lanka had bowled out the home side for 189 shortly before tea.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was chiefly responsible for the Sri Lankans’ 34-run first innings lead, capturing five for 34 as the last six West Indian wickets fell for just 21 runs.

But the initiative swung dramatically away from the touring team after tea as Ambrose, Ian Bishop, Courtney Walsh and Franklyn Rose again caused havoc amongst the Sri Lankan middle order, with only Aravinda de Silva’s defiant 47 delaying them for long.

Ambrose’s hunger for further success remained undimmed just 24 hours after he became only the 12th bowler to take 300 Test wickets, but this time he had to share the limelight with Muralitharan who has successfully rebuilt a Test career which looked doomed after he was no-balled for throwing in Australia in December 1995.

The Sri Lankan started the West Indies slide by trapping Carl Hooper leg before for 27 and Roland Holder’s innings of 28 ended almost immediately when he drove off-spinner Kumara Dharmasena’s first delivery straight back to him.

Muralitharan then took the last four wickets in quick succession, following up the earlier good work of paceman Ravindra Pushpakumara who took three for 62 to peg West Indies back in the morning.

They had resumed on 56 for one but never really recovered from losing the crucial wicket of Brian Lara for a duck.

Umpire Lloyd Barker upheld a confident caught behind appeal although Lara uncharacteristically lingered at the crease.

Television replays later raised doubt as to whether there had been an edge.

Pushpakumara had also sent back debutant Floyd Reifer for a well-made 29, but Sherwin Campbell completed his eighth Test half-century before smashing a savage square-cut to gully where Muralitharan held a brilliant catch.

In the Sri Lankan second innings big hitterng bat Jayasuriya was out for a duck and the team never recovered from this blow and was out for 152 runs.

Lara could not do much in the West Indies’ second innings when he was out for four but before that Campbell (79) and Stuart (83) had mustered enough runs to be near the winning total. (Reuter)

Score Board

Sri Lanka first innings 223 (S.Jayasuriya 85; C.Ambrose

5-75)

West Indies first innings 189 (S.Campbell 50, M.Muralitharan

 5-34)

Sri Lanka second innings (overnight 151-8)

 S.Jayasuriya  c Hooper b Ambrose    0

 R.Mahanama c Browne b Ambrose      14

 R.Arnold c Browne b Ambrose        12

 A.De Silva c Browne b Bishop       47

 A.Ranatumga c Rose b Bishop        13

 R.Kaluwitharana c Browne b Walsh   16

 K.Dharmasena c Walsh b Rose        31

 R.Pushpakumara c Williams b Rose    8

 S.De Silva not out                  2

 M.Muralitharan c Williams b Rose    0

 H.Tillekeratne absent injured       0

 Extras  (lb-3 nb-

 Total                             152

    Fall of wickets: -140 8-151

9-152

    Bowling: Ambrose 9-0-41-3 (nb2), Walsh 10-0-37-1 (nb3), Rose

9-1-42-3 (nb1), Bishop 17-0-29-2

West Indies second innings

 S.Campbell c Mahanama b Muralitharan   79

 S.Williams c sub b Muralitharan        83

 F.Reifer b Dharmasena                   1

 B.Lara c sub b Muralitharan             4

 C.Hooper not out                        6

 R.Holder not out                        0

 Extras (b-4 lb-2 nb-9 w-

 Total (for four wickets)              189

    Fall of wickets: 

    Bowling: S.de Silva 9-2-35-0 (nb1,w1), Pushpakumara 8-0-38-0

(nb1), Muralitharan  (nb6), Jayasuriya 4-0-17-0,

Dharmasena 7-2-21-1 (nb1)

    Result: West Indies won by 6 wickets

    Man-of-the-Match: Curtly Ambrose

    Second (final) Test: June 20-24, St Vincent. 

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