NORTH SOUND – For the third straight day, no wickets fell between lunch and tea, and West Indies behind an unbroken, century third-wicket stand between Nkrumah Bonner and Kyle Mayers played it safe against Sri Lanka in the first Test in Antigua.
Bonner was not out on 84, eyeing a maiden Test hundred, and Mayers was not out on 50, and the Windies reached 181 for two in their second innings at the tea break on the final day of the match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Bonner and Mayers have so far added 103 for the third wicket, but the Caribbean side seemed to have chosen discretion as the best part of valour and not chase down the target of 375 that Sri Lanka set them for victory.
Bonner had a slice of good fortune on 52, when he successfully reviewed umpire Joel Wilson’s decision to adjudge him caught behind off ambidextrous spinner Lasith Embuldeniya, essaying a lazy drive.
With the pitch not misbehaving, the two West Indies batsmen played well within themselves, and Mayers reached his 50 from 109 balls, when he bunted a delivery Dhananjaya de Silva for a single to long-off.
Summarised scores:
SRI LANKA 169 (Lahiru Thirimanne 70, Niroshan Dickwella 32, Dhananjaya de Silva 13, Dimuth Karunaratne 12; Jason Holder 17.4-6-27-5, Kemar Roach 3-47) and 476 (Pathum Nissanka 103, Niroshan Dickwella 96, Oshada Fernando 91, Lahiru Thirimanne 76, Dhananjaya de Silva 50, Lasith Embuldeniya 10; Kemar Roach 3-74, Rahkeem Cornwall 3-137, Kyle Mayers 2-24).
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) and 181 for two (Nkrumah Bonner 84 not out, Kyle Mayers 50 not out, Kraigg Brathwaite 23, John Campbell 11).
(AR)
