Mike Andree reporting from Galle

The West Indies were 409 for the loss of four wickets, at lunch, on the second day of the first test, against Sri Lanka, at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, yesterday.

Super bat Brian Lara was not out on 167 and Marlon Samuels was on seven.

Sri Lanka’s only success in the morning, came in the 22nd over of the day, when off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan held on to a return catch from skipper Carl Hooper, to end a fourth wicket alliance of 153 between the latter and Brian Lara. Hooper faced 120 deliveries for his 69, which included seven fours.

Day one

Sri Lanka’s fielders were made to toil in the sun, throughout the entire first day, as the West Indies recovered from a shaky start, with the help of a century from Brian Lara and some shoddy fielding, to end the day at 316 for three in the first test at the Galle International Stadium, on Tuesday. Right arm pacie Charitha Buddhika Fernando won his first test cap, and was called on to share the new ball with Chaminda Vaas.

Winning the toss and opting to bat on a wicket that showed no signs of life, the West Indies were in trouble in only the seventh over when the left handed opener Chris Gayle hung out his bat, to one moving away from Vaas and was snapped up behind by wicket keeper Kumar Sangakkara for nine with the score on 15.

Ramnaresh Sarwan joined right hand opener Daren Ganga and they took the score to 85 at lunch, but on their return, the latter after having added one run to his score played an insensible stroke against Vaas, for Mahela Jayawardena at point to take the catch with ease. Ganga had scored 47 with five fours and put on 80 runs for the second wicket with Sarwan.

The 21-year-old Sarwan, from Wakenaam Island, Guyana, playing in his 15th test had still to score a century. He seemed set for his maiden ton with left handed batting superstar Brian Lara there as his partner. He survived a chance at 78, dropped at forward short leg by Hashan Tillekeratne off Muralitharan but after an addition of 10 runs and 12 short of his century he could not read a Muralitharan delivery and was bowled for 88, which came off 213 balls with nine fours. Together with Lara he added 145 runs for the third wicket. This was his seventh score of over 50.

The left handed Lara and right handed skipper Carl Hooper put on a further 76 runs without being separated when play ended for the day. Lara, who survived chances at 31 and 93, dropped by wicketkeeper Sangakkara on both occasions off Muralitharan, reached his 16th century, hitting the same bowler to the long off fence. At the close he was unbeaten on 117 off 189 balls with a dozen well-timed boundaries while Hooper was on 34 off 59 balls with three fours.

Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya tried seven bowlers, keeping them to short spells while Muralitharan was made to do all the donkey work. He bowled 40 overs to capture one wicket costing 104 runs.

SCOREBOARD

Scoreboard at lunch on the second day of first test between Sri Lanka and West Indies at Galle on Wednesday:

WEST INDIES 1ST INNINGS (overnight 316-3)

D. Ganga c Jayawardene b Vaas 47

C. Gayle c Sangakkara b Vaas 9

R. Sarwan b Muralitharan 88

B. Lara not out 167

C. Hooper c and b Muralitharan 69

M. Samuels not out 7

Extras (b-6, lb-6, nb-5) 17

Penalty runs (ball hit fielding helmet) 5

Total (4 wkts at lunch, 127 overs) 409

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-95, 3-240, 4-393.

To bat: R. Jacobs, N. McGarrell, D. Ramnaraine, M. Dillon, C. Stuart.

Bowling: Vaas 24-5-70-2 (3nb), Buddhika 18-2-80-0 (1nb), Muralitharan 47-10-117-2, Bandaratillake 22-3-76-0, Jayasuriya 8-2-21-0, Samaraweera 6-0-24-0 (1nb), Arnold 2-1-4-0.

Brian Lara sends the ball crashing to the fence on the off while wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara looks on. (Picture by Jude Denzil Pathiraja)