A brilliant century from Dimuth Karunaratne, along with fifties from Pathum Nissanka and Dhananjaya de Silva, helped Sri Lanka finish the day on 267/3. Karunaratne walked unbeaten on 132, and de Silva is batting on 56.
There was little on offer for the fast bowlers. There was some assistance for the spinners, but they were inconsistent. Karunaratne got a reprieve early in the innings, when Jermaine Blackwood could not grab an easy catch at slip.
Karunaratne did not look back and batted fluently. He and Nissanka stitched a 139-run opening stand. The duo was cautious in the first session but scored over three runs per over in the subsequent session.
Nissanka was on 56 when he got out to Gabriel. The next two batters, Oshada Fernando and Angelo Mathews, fell cheaply to Roston Chase.
Karunaratne then added an unbroken 97 with Dhananjaya de Silva before bad light stopped play. De Silva has struck five fours in his 56 so far. On Day 2, both will aim to bat for as long as possible. Dinesh Chandimal is the next batter in, followed by a long tail.
West Indies, meanwhile, need early wickets. Barring Chase and Jason Holder, their bowlers have not posed much threat. They would expect a bit more consistency from Jomel Warrican, who, along with Chase, holds the key.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- The pitch has been unfavourable for the pacers. Rely more on Chase and Warrican, even though the latter has not been at his best on an opening day.
- Place your bet on Dhananjaya, who has looked solid at the crease.