Sandals Test Series: 4th Day, 2nd Test
All to play for as West Indies chase victory on final day
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – West Indies need ten wickets to win the Sandals Test series on Friday, after captain Kraigg Brathwaite, as well as Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers all scored high-quality half-centuries to spearhead a victory bid on Thursday – the fourth day of the second Sandals Test match.
Brathwaite followed up his first innings 126 with a top score of 85 while Holder mad an stroke-filled 71 not out and Mayers an up tempo 55 as the home side declared their second innings on 280-4, just over 45 minutes before the close at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Scoreboard: http://bit.ly/wivsl2ndtestscorecard
Left-handers Lahiru Thirimanne (17 not out) and Dimuth Karunaratne (11 not out) batted out the final stages for Sri Lanka to reach 29-0. The visitors will require a further 345 runs to win when the match resumes on Friday at 9:30am (8:30am Jamaica Time) with a minimum of 98 overs to be bowled.
Earlier in the day, West Indies had needed just 23 balls to wrap up the Sri Lanka first innings for 258. Kemar Roach (3-58) took both wickets to fall – Pathum Nissanka (51) caught by substitute Hayden Walsh jr from a top-edged hook and last man Vishwa Fernando taken behind by keeper Joshua Da Silva.
In the second innings, Brathwaite and Mayers both looked supremely confident in an 82-run, third wicket stand as Mayers hit eight fours off 76 balls. Brathwaite and Holder then combined in an 87-run, fourth wicket partnership. The skipper hit four fours off 196 balls in five hours. Overall in the match he batted 13-1/2 hours and faced 507 balls.
Holder played some fluent drives and powerful pulls and faced 88 balls in 2-1/2 hours and counted seven fours. Holder and Da Silva, who was not out on 20 when the declaration came, put on 53 in an unbroken fifth wicket stand.
“We wanted to get a few overs in this evening when it’s a tough period for the openers to bat. The wickets didn’t materialize but I think the runs on the board are good. It won’t be easy, the pitch is decent so we’ve go to work hard. It would be great (to win) and go up the Test rankings but we’ve got to take care of session by session,” Brathwaite said on the Sandals Player Zone.
Highlights available here https://bit.ly/2LQTuxt to Caribbean viewers on West Indies YouTube channel from 4pm Eastern Caribbean Time/3pm Jamaica Time.
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