Stumps, Day 4: Sri Lanka 549 for 9 dec & 92 for 2 (Chandimal 40*, Kamindu 30*, Alzarri 1-17) lead West Indies 499 (Greaves 180, Hope 112, Fernando 5-130) by 142 runs
All three results are still possible ahead of Tuesday’s final day of the second Test between the West Indies and Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua and Barbuda.
Despite two early strikes from the West Indians in the evening session, Dinesh Chandimal (40*) and Kamindu Mendis (30*) stitched together an unbroken 60-run partnership to see the visitors stretch their lead to 142 runs at close of play.
On a day that Sri Lanka tried everything with the ball, the West Indies might have thought they batted themselves to safety after Justin Greaves’ 180 helped the Caribbean side occupy the crease for a little over two sessions on the penultimate day, trimming the visitors’ first innings advantage to 50 runs before they were dismissed for 499.
The overnight pair of Greaves and Shai Hope resumed batting with Windies 318 for four and still trailing by 231. Once again, the discipline from the visiting bowlers meant they had to grind out every run during the morning session.
Sri Lanka missed an opportunity for the perfect start after failing to review one Hope had feathered down the leg side to the wicketkeeper in the first over.
He capitalized on the opportunity, extending the fifth-wicket partnership with Greaves to 242. They eventually brought up individual milestones. The classy Hope was the first to raise his bat. He notched a fifth Test ton, his third since his recall to the side last summer and a first in the Caribbean.
