Chris Gayle stars with 333 against Sri Lanka
Chris Gayle made his highest Test score on Tuesday finishing with 333 in the West Indies first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
The former West Indies captain surpassed his previous Test top score of 317, made against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 at St John’s in 2005, as he guided the visiting side to a first innings total of 580-8.
Gayle finally fell victim to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ajantha-c42419 Mendis in the third session of day two, the opener finally brought undone when the Sri Lanka spinner found the gap between his bat and pad to bowl him out with the West Indies well in control of proceedings at 566-6.
The 31-year-old’s impressive knock, made off 437 balls which included 34 fours and nine sixes, leaves him one short of the great Sir Donald Bradman’s top score of 334, but 67 runs adrift of the record Test score set by former teammate Brian Lara, who sets the pace with an unbeaten 400 made against England at http://www.senore.com/Cricket/St-John-c90864’s in 2004.
Surprisingly, with Gayle’s innings over and the away team on top of Kumar Sangakkara’s side late on day two, the West Indies batted on, new captain Darren Sammy coming to the crease for what was to be the briefest of appearances, a sharply turning delivery taking out his stumps to send him back to the pavilion for a golden duck and leaving Mendis on a hat-trick.
The spinner was unable to achieve the feat, putting too much turn on a ball that Andre http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Russell-c87177 had little idea about, and the umpire didn’t have to put too much though into turning down the lbw appeal.
Mendis’ dismissal of Sammy was, however, the wicket the 25-year-old needed to bring up a five-fer, as he almost single-handedly set about working his way through the West Indies batsmen in the day’s final session, finally finishing with figures of 6-169.
It was the stumping of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 wicket of the innings though that finally prompted Sammy to declare the innings over, three wickets and about five overs later than he probably should have.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 finished the day at 54-1, with Tillakaratne Dilshan the batsman back in the pavilion, the opener dismissed for a second ball duck. Sangakkara will resume on 33 not out on day three, while Tharanga Paranavitana is unbeaten on 10.
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