http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in charge of Galle Test Day 4
The West Indians continue to shock the Sri Lankans as they steer themselves into a strong position on day four of the first Test match being played at Galle.
Led by a master class performance from former captain and opening batsman Chris Gayle, who amassed a triple hundred, the West Indian bowlers bowled their team into a strong position at lunch on the penultimate day of the five day contest.
The fourth day of the Test was hit by heavy rain that forced the players off the field for the best part of two sessions, yet the tourists made most of the opportunities coming their way on day four as they removed two frontline Sri Lankan batsmen in the
first session of the day.
Resuming at the overnight score of 165/3 the Sri Lankans were banking on one of their greatest batsmen of all time former captain Mahela Jayawardene.
The right hander reached his fifty and looked set for a big one, before being undone by the fastest West Indian bowler Kemar Roach, who had him caught behind by wicket-keeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Carlton-Baugh-c49264.
Jayawardene scored 59 runs off 104 balls striking 6 fours in his innings. The hosts were stunned by his departure and had their fate in the hands of Thilan Samaraweera, who has been in sterling form in the longest format of the game.
Samaraweera also posted a half century and looked in control of the situation when calamity struck and he went back in the unluckiest of ways.
All-rounder Angelo Mathews, who was at the batsman’s end drove Dwayne Bravo straight towards the non-striker’s end, the agile Bravo partially stopped the ball and it ricocheted onto the non-striker’s stumps with Samaraweera well out of the crease.
The right hander walked back dejectedly to the pavilion after scoring 52 off 74 balls, his innings included 6 fours.
The hosts were in search for some consolidation through their lower order and that stability was provided by Angelo Mathews and wicket-keeper Prasana Jayawardene, the two youngsters held firm almost through to the lunch break.
Catastrophe struck at the brink of break as off-spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shane-Shillingford-c89689 sent Mathews packing as the right hander glanced a ball that roared from a length into the hands of West Indian captain Darren Sammy.
Mathews struck 27 off 78 balls, he hit 2 fours in his innings, lunch was taken with the hosts struggling at 264/6, 117 runs behind the follow-on mark.
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