Embuldeniya, Mendis share five wickets each in the fourth innings and help Sri Lanka win by 164 runs.
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 345 for 9 declared (Dhananjaya 155*, Permaul 100/3) & 204 (Nissanka 73, Permaul 35/5, Warrican 50/4) beat West Indies 132 all-out (Nkrumah Bonner 44, Embuldeniya 35/5, Mendis 66/5) & 253 (Brathwaite 72, Mendis 70/6) by 164 runs on day five
Sri Lanka started Day 5 from 328 for 8. The batting pair Dhananjaya de Silva and Lasith Embuleniya wanted to add some runs quickly and invite West Indies to bat. Embuldeniya looked in attacking mode as he smashed two boundaries in the first two overs of the day.
However, he was bowled out by Jason Holder while going for a big shot. Sri Lankan skipper declared the innings immediately after this wicket and set a target of 297 runs on a massively turning pitch on the fifth day of the test match. The batting pair Dhananjaya and Embuleniya added 124 runs for the ninth wickets, which is a record for Sri Lanka in Test cricket.
Ramesh Mendis removed Kraigg Brathwaite early
Demoralised Caribbeans came to bat to chase mountains of runs on this fifth day Galle pitch, which is known as the graveyard of batters, as it helps spinners tremendously. West Indies skipper and opener Kraigg Brathwaite was given LBW by umpires early in the innings, as his bat missed the ball while playing for a spin. He challenged the umpire’s decision but, replays showed it as Umpires call and Sri Lankan spinners drew first blood to send Braithwaite back in the hut. Right-arm off-break spinner Ramesh Mendis bagged the first wicket and went on to take a 5-fer as the innings progressed.
Sri Lankan skipper Karunaratne brought left-arm orthodox spinner Praveen Jayawickrama on the attack in place of Mendis. Second opener Jermaine Blackwood and Nkrumah Bonner smashed a few stylish boundaries to milk some runs. They added 50 runs for the third wicket before Dhananjaya de Silva caught Blackwood of an edge bowled by Embuldeniya. By the lunch, West Indies had already lost two key wickets.
Read More: SL vs WI – 2nd Test, Day 4, Galle – Dhananjaya’s 153* takes SL 279 ahead; declaration awaited
Mendis dislodged visitors middle order
After the break, Karunaratne brought back his ace spinner Mendis on the attack in place of Jayawickrama. Mendis didn’t take much time to give blows to visitors. He sent back two batters Shai Hope and Roston Chase in the hut on back-to-back deliveries. Also, Mendis bagged another wicket in the same over to send half of the West Indies team to the pavilion.
Kyle Myers couldn’t get the magical off-break bowling of Mendis and edged a tossed up ball caught by Dhananjaya in the slip. Chase and Myers couldn’t add a single run on the scoreboard.
After Mendis, his partner Embuldeniya didn’t give respite to opponent batters. He bagged wickets of Jason Holder and Bonner in consecutive overs. Bonner scored 44 runs in 143 balls with the help of three boundaries. Sri Lankan spinners wreaked havoc on the pitch to finish the batting lineup of the West Indies. Both spinners Mendis and Embuldeniya competed among themselves for wickets, as wickets failed in a heap in front of these skilful tweakers.
Read More: SL vs WI – 2nd Test, Day 3, Galle – Mendis’ 6-70 restricts WI to 253; SL trail by 3 runs at stumps
Mendis and Embuldeniya completed individual five-fers
Embuldeniya got Kemar Roach LBW on 13, while Mendis sent Veeraswamy Permaul in the dugout on the score of 1. As Mendis completed his second five-for by the wicket of Permaul, Embulndeiya hurried and took the last wicket of the innings Jomel Warrican on the first ball to the next over to complete his fifth fifer of the test career. As West Indies succumbed to a total of just 132 runs in front of the huge target of 297 runs, Sri Lanka won this game by 164 runs. Also, they whitewashed the visitors by winnings both test matches.
Dhananjaya de Silva was awarded Player of the Match for his match-winning unbeaten innings of 153 runs in the third innings and 5 catches, whereas youngster Mendis was awarded the Player of the Series for his staggering 18 wickets in these two-match test series.
Read More: SL vs WI – 2nd Test, Day 1, Galle – Nissanka-Karunaratne 106-run stand helps SL to 113-1
