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by Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from the Caribbean

ST. LUCIA, Gross Islet, Friday - Sri Lanka full use of a good batting pitch to dominate the first session of play in the first-ever Test match played at Beausejour Stadium against the West Indies here today.

Sri Lanka went to lunch at 77 for one wicket with vice-captain Marvan Atapattu unbeaten on 35 scored off 72 balls and left-hander Kumar Sangakkara on 32 not out off 44 balls. Each of them had hit four fours and put together 58 runs for the second wicket in an unfinished stand.

None of the batsmen looked troubled at all by the West Indies bowling which looked ordinary on a surprisingly brown pitch with not a tinge of green on it. The bounce was consistent with the ball hardly beating the bat. Sri Lanka having won the toss and batted first have a very good chance of piling up a very big total.

Brian Lara, the West Indies captain must have been pretty disappointed with his fast bowlers who were hardly accurate and bowled on both sides of the pitch. Atapattu and Sangakkara took full advantage of it to place Sri Lanka in a comfortable position at lunch.

Sangakkara perhaps played the best shot of the session when he square cut Test debutant Jerome Taylor off the back foot to the point boundary in the first over after a short break for rain, to bring up Sri Lanka's 50 in the 17th over. He had made exactly half the total with Atapattu on 16.

Sanath Jayasuriya once again missed out on a fine opportunity to get some runs in his kitty when he was dismissed for eight. He went for his favourite square cut in the 11th over and hit the ball straight into gully's hands.

Omari Banks stationed in that position did well to cling on to the fast travelling ball. It gave Corey Collymore his first Test wicket in four years. The only Test he had played for the West Indies before today was against Australia at Antigua in April 1999.

Sri Lanka made one change from the team that played New Zealand in the last home Test at Kandy in May. Tilan Samaraweera replaced Kumar Dharmasena which meant that Sri Lanka went into the match with two fast bowlers (Vaas and Nissanka) and two spinners (Muralitharan and Lokuarachchi).

West Indies made three changes from the team that beat Australia in the final Test at Antigua last month. Left out were batsmen Devon Smith and Shiv Chanderpaul (injured) and fast bowler Vasbert Drakes. Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels and Jerome Taylor replaced them. 

  SRI LANKA - 1ST INNINGS

M. Atapattu 	not out	35
S. Jayasuriya 	c Banks b Collymore	8
K. Sangakkara 	not out	32
Extras 	(NB-2)	2

TOTAL 	(for one wicket)	77

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-19.
TO BAT: M. Jayawardene, H. Tillakaratne, T. Samaraweera,
R. Kaluwitharana, C. Vaas, K. Lokuarachchi, 
M. Muralitharan,P. Nissanka.

BOWLING (to date): Dillon 10-2-21-0, 
        Collymore 7-0-24-1(nb-2),
        Taylor 4-0-23-0, 
        Hinds 1-0-1-0, Banks 3-0-8-0.

West Indies: C. Gayle, D. Ganga, W. Hinds, B. Lara, 
             R. Sarwan,M. Samuels, R. Jacobs, O. Banks,
             M. Dillon, C. Collymore, J. Taylor.

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