TEST MATCH: Greaves (180), Hope (112) lift West Indies, but Sri Lanka stretch lead

Sri Lanka rolled the momentum they had built in the latter half of the second session to roll over the final two West Indian wickets, to take a 50-run first innings lead. By stumps, they had extended that to 142 for the loss of two wickets.

At the crease were Kamindu Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal, on a fairly brisk third wicket stand of 60 off 72. Kamindu’s entrance at 32-2 proved the catalyst for Sri Lanka’s improved rate of scoring, as he wasted little time in looking to take on the bowling.

Having watched from the other end for a couple of overs, he belatedly faced his fourth delivery of the innings, which he promptly got a thick edge over a slow-to-react Justin Greaves at first slip.

Two balls later he produced a more convincing boundary through extra cover, and then saved the best for last with a screaming drive square past cover.

At the start of the next over he flicked a loose one from Alzarri Joseph over deep square leg safely with the wind, and just like that he had raced to 23 off ten. Chandimal at the other end wasn’t as convincing, but he seemed to have fortune on his side.

Of his three boundaries, two came via edges, though an uppercut six off Alzarri signalled his intent as well to push the scoring along. By the close of play he had moved to 40 off 66, with Kamindu on 30 off 35. Sri Lanka moving at a healthy scoring rate of 4.18.

Prior to their intervention, a fiery opening burst from Shamar Joseph, allied with that trademark precision probing from Jayden Seales, accounted for the early removal of first innings centurion Lahiru Udara.

The Lankan opener was unable to add anything to his match tally, after failing to navigate a length ball that seamed back sharply to rap him just above the knee roll. Sri Lanka wasted a review as well, as replays showed this to be hitting the top of leg stump.

Chandimal and Nishan Madushka then came together to prevent any further inroads and they managed to scratch together a 51-ball stand of 30. But with the pitch now showing more variable bounce and the West Indian seamers utilising the lateral movement on offer with the new ball effectively, there were some nervy moments.

Both Madushka and Chandimal were beaten on the outside edge by the excellent Seales, as he continued to probe that channel outside off, while the introduction of Alzarri Joseph forced the Lankan batters to deal with some uncomfortable bounce.

And it was just this that brought about Madushka’s dismissal, as one rose up from a good length to take the edge off the shoulder of the bat. There was still work to do though, as this seemed to be clearing first slip, only for John Campbell to jump fully extended with both hands and claim the catch.

But despite those early wicket, as Sri Lanka seek an unlikely victory, they will hope that in Chandimal and Kamindu they have two batters capable of getting some fast runs on the fifth morning before presumably putting the hosts back into bat.

Greaves and Hope shine

If that were to be the case, it will be quick return to the middle for a batting unit that had occupied roughly six sessions of play across this Test. Much of that owed to Shai Hope and Greaves, who began the fourth day as they had carried on for much of the previous day.

For most of the morning it was essentially the Hope and Greaves show, with both batters taking on whatever the Sri Lankans through at them with consummate ease. The only areas of concern were some increasingly frequent deliveries keeping low off a length, but it wasn’t persistent enough to cause any undue concern – at least not at this juncture.

The pair moved along in lockstep, like they had done for most of the previous day.

With West Indies unbothered about the scoring rate, the pair were more than content batting time and playing each ball on merit. There were just five boundaries in the session, three coming off the bat of Greaves – who showcased his serious batting chops with pair of picture book drives and a whip through midwicket.

Their centuries too came around four overs apart, with Hope the first to get there off 198 deliveries, and shortly after Greaves reached his of 201 balls.

They were significant milestones as well, with this Hope’s fifth Test century but the first in the Caribbean, and for Greaves it was his second ton at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and third overall in Tests. It also showcased his growing ability to convert his starts, with his Test centuries now outnumbering his Test fifties three to one.

However, with less than 15 minutes to lunch, Hope fell in an unusual manner as he sort to pad away an innocuous leg-stump delivery from Sonal Dinusha.

As the ball passed and went through to keeper Kusal Mendis, Hope had reflexively dragged his back foot out of the crease. And just as that happened, the ball had bounced off Kusal’s gloves and hit the stumps.

It stopped the Hope-Greaves marathon stand at 242 off 459 deliveries, after which Sri Lanka’s attack finally began to be rewarded for their tireless efforts across the innings. Much of this owed to the tenacity of Asitha Fernando, who dug deep into his reserves to find the energy to produce an exemplary spell of short-pitched bowling.

He battered and bruised Roston Chase – a period that resulted in a finger injury which kept him off the field once West Indies began bowling – before eventually wrangling an edge through to the keeper.

A pair of bouncers also accounted for Anderson Phillip and Shamar Joseph, the latter giving him is third Test five-wicket haul.

In between Milan Rathnayake dismissed Alzarri – also with a short ball, as he looked to take on the man at fine leg – but the prize scalp of Greaves was reserved for Jayasuriya, as the tall all-rounder finally faltered 325 deliveries into his innings – getting a leading edge to point off one that spun out of the rough. (ESPNcricinfo)