NORTH SOUND – West Indies endured a fruitless toil before tea, and newcomer Pathum Nissanka completed a maiden Test hundred and Sri Lanka extended their lead to 333 in the first Test in Antigua.
At the break, Nissanka, playing his debut Test, was not out on 101 and left-hander Niroshan Dickwella was not out on 81, and the Sri Lankans were 435 for five in their second innings at the break on the fourth day of the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
The Windies bowled purposefully in the period between lunch and tea without success, and Nissanka held firm to reach his milestone from 240 balls, when he played forward and steered a delivery from Jermaine Blackwood past slip for two.
Nissanka, 22, has so far added 176 for the sixth wicket with Dickwella, who has had a charmed life either side of reaching his 50 from 103 balls.
Lanky West Indies pacer Jason Holder was the grieving bowler, when Dickwella, on 44, steered a short, rising delivery and was dropped by gully fielder Nkrumah Bonner in the ninth over after lunch.
In the fourth over before tea, pacer Alzarri Joseph, the only West Indies wicket-taker for the day, unsuccessfully appealed for Dickwella caught behind down the leg-side on 74.
Joseph got no support from any other fielder, but TV replays suggested that had West Indies not wasted their review decisions with meaningless appeals earlier, there was a strong case to be adjudicated.
Summarised scores:
SRI LANKA 169 (Lahiru Thirimanne 70, Niroshan Dickwella 32, Dhananjaya 13, Dimuth Karunaratne 12; Jason Holder 17.4-6-27-5, Kemar Roach 3-47) and 435 for five (Pathum Nissanka 101 not out, Oshada Fernando 91, Niroshan Dickwella 81 not out, Lahiru Thirimanne 76, Dhananjaya de Silva 50; Kyle Mayers 2-24, Kemar Roach 2-53).
WEST INDIES 271 (Rahkeem Cornwall 61, Joshua da Silva 46, Kyle Mayers 45, John Campbell 42, Nkrumah Bonner 31, Jason Holder 19; Suranga Lakmal 25-9-47-5, Vishwa Fernando 2-52, Dushmantha Chameera 2-71).
(AR)
