- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Young West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor receives a congratulatory hug from captain Brian Lara after taking his first Test wicket, Marvan Atapattu for 28 against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park yesterday.
Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
THE SECOND and final Test of the Cable & Wireless series between the West Indies and Sri Lanka at Sabina Park appears heading for a close, exciting and early finish.
At stumps on yesterday's second day, at the end of an action-packed day during which 15 wickets fell for 315 runs, the scoreboard read, Sri Lanka 208 and 129 for five, the West Indies 191, and the odds are against the five-day winner-take-all showdown going the distance.
The question, however, is not so much how long the contest will last but who will win it and with Sri Lanka, up to now, faring no better in the second innings than they did in the first when they lost their fifth wicket at 129, with the West Indies failing by 17 runs to lead Sri Lanka and batting last on a pitch that is still favouring bowlers, it is still anybody's guess.
SMALL TOTAL
After dismissing Sri Lanka for what appeared a small total on the first day, the West Indies, resuming on four without loss, were tipped to get a reasonable lead and with left-handers Christopher Gayle and Wavell Hinds reeling off some powerful strokes after surviving a few good overs from Chaminda Vaas they appeared well on the way at 54 without loss.
On another day when the ball once again dominated the bat, however, Sri Lanka hit back with pacer Prabath Nissanka picking up five wickets for 64 runs off 12.4 overs and offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan claiming three for 23 off 10.
Bowling from the north and getting the ball to bounce awkwardly off a fair length, Nissanka removed Gayle when the big man, after some narrow escapes in the pacer's previous over, went forward for the third or fourth time, attempted to pull the bat away for the third or fourth time, and gloved a low catch to Kumar Sangakkara at gully.
That was 54 for one 60 minutes into the day's play, and 12 minutes later it was 59 for two when Hinds drove at Nissanka and nicked a catch to wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitharana.
For Sri Lanka, however, the big "catch" came when lefthander Lara, after confidently driving the first delivery from Muralitharan to the cover boundary, went back to the offspinner bowling from around the wicket and was leg before wicket at 85 for three when umpire Darrell Hair the big Australian who believes that Muralitharan does not bowl raised the dreaded finger.
Wicket number four went at 107 when Ramnaresh Sarwan, attempting to turn Vaas behind square leg, went too far across his stumps and lost his leg stump; wicket number five went at 110 when Omari Banks, out of his depth at number six and after a few bouncers from Nissanka, played forward tentatively and edged a catch to Hashan Tillekeratne at first slip; and with the four pacers to come, Sri Lanka were well on top at 123 for six when Marlon Samuels eased his left down the pitch but not across, drove at a wide delivery from Nissanka, and edged a simple catch to Tillekeratne.
Batting a second time, Sri Lanka's happiness at snatching the lead was short-lived as pacers Corey Collymore - two for 26, Jerome Taylor - two for 38, and Fidel Edwards with one for 38 rose to the occasion after Sanath Jayasuriya had smashed two lovely offside boundaries off Edwards and looked set to fire.
DISAPPOINTMENT
Collymore was bowling well, however, and after suffering a bit of disappointment when Jayasuriya cut and Samuels missed a sharp chance at third slip, he removed the lefthander leg before wicket at 25 for one and then sent Sangakarra packing - caught by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.
That was 43 for two, Taylor, playing in his second Test match, made it 80 for three with his first Test wicket when he removed Marvan Atapattu - caught by Jacobs, Edwards made it 118 for four when Mahela Jayawardene edged to Jacobs, and Taylor made it 118 for five when he bowled Kaluwitharana with a beauty.
SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka first innings 208
West Indies first innings
(Resumed at 4-0)
C. Gayle c Sangakkara b Nissanka 31
W. Hinds c Kaluwitharana b Nissanka 19
R. Sarwan b Vaas 31
B. Lara lbw Muralitharan 10
M. Samuels c Tillekeratne b Nissanka 14
O. Banks c Tillekeratne b Nissanka 2
R. Jacobs lbw Muralitharan 16
V. Drakes b Muralitharan 30
J. Taylor c Muralitharan b Dharmasena 1
C. Collymore c Sangakkara b Nissanka 13
F. Edwards not out 5
Extras (5b, 3lb, 6w, 5nb) 19
Total (53.3 overs - all out) 191
Fall: 1-54, 2-59, 3-85, 4-107, 5-110, 6-123, 7-162, 8-163, 9-175, 10-191.
Bowling: Vaas 15-4-33-1 (1w, 1nb), Thushara 10-1-36-0 (2w, 3nb), Nissanka 12.3-0-64-5 (3w, 1nb), Muralitharan 11-3-23-3, Dharmasena 5-0-27-1.
Sri Lanka second innings
M. Atapattu c Jacobs b Taylor 28
S. Jayasuriya lbw Collymore 13
K. Sangakkara c Jacobs b Collymore 12
M. Jayawardene c Jacobs b Edwards 32
R. Kaluwitharana b Taylor 23
H. Tillekeratne not out 2
K. Dharmasena not out 9
Extras (5lb, 1w, 4 nb) 10
Total (38 overs - five wkts) 129
Fall: 1-25, 2-43, 3-80, 4-118, 5-118.
Bowling: Edwards 10-2-38-1 (1w), Collymore 8-0-26-2 (2nb), Drakes 8-3-16-0 (2nb), Taylor 10-1-38-2, Banks 2-0-6-0.
