Sri Lanka were shot out for 185 in the first innings in reply to a total of 414 for8 declared on the third day of the first cricket Test in Port of Spain Trinadad on Friday.
Dinesh Chandimal (44) and Niroshan Dickwella (31) were the only Sri Lankan batsmen to put up some limited resistance while the rest of the team fell cheaply.
Sri Lanka in fact never recovered from losing three quick wickets on the previous day after the home team declared at 414 for 8 after Shane Dowrich smashed a top score of 125 after the West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first.
Earlier the Sri Lanka bowlers struggled for wickets after at one stage having the West Indies tottering at 147 for 5 before Dowrich came to the crease and took charge to defy and keep the bowlers at bay. Dowrich was never troubled at all as he played cautiously after surviving a dropped catch on 16.
Chandimal and Dickwella played and dug in to revive the innings with four wickets down but a lapse on the part of Chandimal who cut a ball into the hands of cover-point brought about Sri Lanka’s second phase collapse.
Dickwella running out of partners could do very little in the face of some accurate bowling by the West Indies fast bowlers as he too fell for 31 and with it the entire Sri Lanka team.
Sri Lanka were all out for 185 giving West Indies a lead of 229 on the first innings which they increased to 438. Opener Kieron Powell was unbeaten on 64 from 80 balls and with him was first innings century-maker Dowrich unbeaten on 11.
Sri Lanka will have to do something extraordinary to save the match.
