GALLE – Captain Dimuth Karunaratne’s 13th Test hundred and third in as many matches put the squeeze on West Indies as Sri Lanka flourished on day one of the opening cricket Test in Galle yesterday.
Choosing to bat first, the hosts ended on 267 for three with the left-handed Karunaratne unbeaten on 132, his fourth hundred of the calendar year and fourth at Galle International Stadium.
His opening partner Pathum Nissanka emerged from an uncertain start, especially against the pace of Shannon Gabriel, to chip in with 56, while Dhananjaya de Silva also carved out an unbeaten 56, as West Indies were kept wicketless in the final hour.
Off-spinning all-rounder Roston Chase, one of five spinners employed on a dry surface, proved the touring side’s most effective bowler with two for 42 – both wickets coming in the first 45 minutes after tea in West Indies’ best period of an otherwise frustrating day. (CMC)
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