COLOMBO, Nov 25 (Cricinfo): A masterful 80 by Darren Bravo was all that stood in the way of Sri Lanka, as they closed out the third day of the second Test 222 runs ahead.
Darren Bravo was assured as he notched up his second half-century in as many innings in Tests, even as his more illustrious team-mates struggled to come to terms with the skill and variation of the Sri Lankan attack.
The visitors looked good to end the day just three down as the gloom set in over Premadasa Stadium, but a double-strike from Tillakaratne Dilshan minutes before stumps meant Sri Lanka were still well in the hunt for a win and the visitors were left to ponder how they might save the Test.
Darren Bravo was difficult to tie down in his 129-ball stay, happy to settle into a steady rhythm of singles for the majority of the afternoon, but taking the attack to the spinners and forcing Kumar Sangakkara to adjust the field when it became too tight for his liking.
He hit four sixes and they may as well have all been carbon copies of each other.
Thrice he waltzed down to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, getting to the pitch of the ball to launch him over long-on and long-off, while Mendis, too, was treated to a lofted wallop that sailed over the ropes in the same area.
Darren Bravo fell in the penultimate over of the day to a stunning catch.
West Indies 165 for 5 (Darren Bravo 80, Dwayne Bravo 1*, Baugh 4*) trail Sri Lanka 387 for 9 dec (Sangakkara 150, Samaraweera 80, Roach 5-100) by 222 runs
Late strikes give Sri Lanka the edge
FE Team | Published: November 26, 2010 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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