West Indies Under-pressure in 2nd Test against Sri Lanka
The 2nd Test clash between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 seems to be heading for a draw, as rain and bad light, stopped the ongoing match. Sri Lanka managed to score 294 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, courtesy Kumar Sangakara. It was Sangakara’s magnificence and patience that steadied Sri Lanka’s ship, after their famous top-order crumpled under the fearsome West Indian bowling attack. Apart from the brilliant batting exhibit by the skipper, it was the untimely weather at Colombo, which got the best of the match and stopped play on day two. When play resumed on day three, the Sri Lankan’s managed to add 94 valuable runs to their 1st innings score of 387.Being a superior total, Sri Lanka declared their innings as soon as their ninth wicket fell. Since the pitch at R.Premadasa Stadium is extremely beneficial for both seamers and spinners, the hosts feel they are in with a winning chance. However the West Indian camp is utterly dissatisfied by their bowling effort as they had Sri Lanka in a tight-spot, earlier in the match. When the hosts were tottering at 34 for 3 .the West Indian bowlers could not capitalize on this advantage and gave too many scoring chances to the opposition.
The man-of-the hour, was none-other-than Kumar Sangakara, who chipped-in with a valuable 150 runs. His cameo was a thrill for the home crowd as he smashed the West Indian bowlers on all corners of the ground. He thumped 18 fours and a six, in his impressive knock, with the inclusion of a run on almost every other delivery. His strike-rate was a mind boggling 55.97. Unfortunately Sanagakara’s fiery display came to an end by West Indian skipper Darren Sammy. One must not forget the brilliant and very useful knock by Thilan Samaraweera, who bagged an impressive 80 runs, frustrating and pestering the West Indians further. From the West Indian bowling line-up, only Darren Sammy rose to the occasion, taking 5 crucial wickets and conceding 100 runs. Spinners Ben and Shiilingford could not utilize the ideal track conditions and shared just one wicket between them.
The West Indies, initiated their retaliation, in an extremely disappointing manner. Their batting maestro, Chris Gayle, could no t rise to the occasion and was claimed for a modest 30 runs. It was newcomer Lakmal who took the prize wicket of Chris Gayle.Yet all was not lost for the guests as left-handed Darren Bravo came to the rescue. He smashed an impressive and fiery knock of 80 runs, amassing 5 fours and 4 mighty sixes. Presently, West Indies have managed a total of 165 runs, losing five crucial wickets. However, only time will tell the final outcome of this epic clash.
Tags: