Persistent rain washed out almost two sessions (only four overs of play were possible after lunch) on Day 3 of the first Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Galle. West Indies, resuming on 113/6, closed on 224/9. They are still 162 runs behind after Sri Lanka were all out for 386 in the first innings.
Play will begin 15 minutes earlier than the scheduled time in the remaining two days. But rain is forecasted again during the final six sessions of the match, and because of that, the contest may end up in a draw.
Sri Lanka still hold the aces with a big first-innings lead. Their spinners – Praveen Jayawickrama, Ramesh Mendis and Lasith Embuldeniya – had dominated Day 2, but were not at their best in the morning session on Day 3, against Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder and Rahkeem Cornwall. They had a chance to enforce the follow-on, but the West Indies lower order batters kept them at bay.
Keeping the possibility of rain interruptions in mind, Sri Lanka will be looking to score runs quickly after taking the last West Indies wicket. They can take the second new ball right from the beginning of Day 4.
With World Test Championship points up for grabs, the remaining two days should be a fascinating contest for the viewers between two lower-ranked Test sides.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Back Dimuth Karunaratne and Dhananjaya de Silva. They are likely to accelerate from the beginning of the innings.
- From West Indies, keep faith in Roston Chase and Shannon Gabriel. If one of them gets an early wicket, the match might become interesting.