Sri Lanka go one up in the series and also are the table toppers in the opening stages of the 2023 Test World Championship as they beat West Indies by 187 runs. In fact, this is not the first time Sri Lanka won a Test match in the same venue when rain poured after the final over.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat first. They scored 386 runs with the captain leading from the front with 147. Dhananjaya De Silva and Pathum Nissanka also chipped in with Fifties. Chandimal who made his Test comeback missed him one by 5 runs. Roston Chase and Jomel Warrican shared 8 wickets between them.
West Indies batted next and were troubled early on. The Sri Lankan spinners led by Ramesh Mendis and Praveen Jayawickrama took 7 wickets between them. West Indies only managed to score 230. Kyle Mayers top scored with 45.
Sri Lanka resumed their second innings and went at rocket pace. The captain once again showed his class but unfortunately missed his century when he was caught off 83. Angelo Mathews who was away from cricket for sometime, scored his 37th Fifty and Sri Lanka declared on 191/4 when Mathews was on 69 not out, a fitting innings and message to all.
With 348 runs to win, West Indies could only hope on a Galle pitch and the spinners once again ran riot. They were 18 for 6 at one point but Joshua Da Silva and Nkrumah Bonner held their ends well. They scored their half centuries in the final day but it was not enough to stop the onslaught. Lasith Embuldeniya had the last laugh when he took the final wicket, in the final ball which rain came and won Sri Lanka the match.
Dimuth Karunaratne was awarded man of the match for scoring a total of 230 runs. Sri Lanka are currently on top of the World Test Championship points table.
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