Brathwaite leads from the front but WI bowling fails to break through against S/Lanka
After Kraigg Brathwaite West Indies’ largely encouraging First Test performance, the selectors surprised many with the XI they announced for the Second Test against Dimuth Karunaratne’s Sri Lanka. But the unchanged side earned an honourable draw, entirely justifying the panel’s faith in them and reinforcing the idea that the best XI is not always the 11 best.
With 98 overs left in the game at the end of Day Four, Win Predictor put at 5% the visitors’ chances of winning and taking the series 1-0. Even before Friday morning rains cut a chunk out of that minimum number, the Sri Lankans must either have agreed with the guess or been satisfied with a 0-0 outcome.
Karunaratne says Sri Lanka need to improve batting southeastasiapost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from southeastasiapost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dimuth Karunaratne | RANDY BROOKS / AFP
Sri Lanka’s top-order batting held firm to ensure a draw and a drawn series against the West Indies on the last day of the second and final Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday.
Set the daunting target of 377 and resuming at 29 without loss, the tourists reached 193/2 with a top score of 75 by captain Dimuth Karunaratne and an unbeaten 66 by Oshada Fernando leading the resistance.
After managing just 16 runs in three previous innings, Karunaratne’s 25th Test half-century spanned over four hours. He faced 176 deliveries and struck nine fours before being trapped lbw by seam bowling all-rounder Kyle Mayers just before the end of the post-lunch period.
Brathwaite heaps praise on West Indies attitude southeastasiapost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from southeastasiapost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.