Sri Lanka 'A' take one-run first innings lead

CRICKET: West Indies 'A' surrendered a slender first innings advantage to Sri Lanka 'A' and had lost three second innings wickets by the close of the third day of the second unofficial "Test" at the Warner Park Stadium Sunday.

Trailing by just one run on first innings, West Indies closed the penultimate day of the four-day fixture on 73 for three with Travis Dowlin not out on 40.

Top-order batsmen Devon Smith, Sylvester Joseph and Ryan Hinds have all gone cheaply to Gayan Wijekoon (2-29) and Malinga Bandara (1-20).

Earlier, the Sri Lankans had suffered a late-order collapse and tumbled to 359 all out, in response to West Indies A's 358 all out. From an overnight 202 for four, the visiting Sri Lankans pushed their score along steadily and added 102 runs in the first session for the loss of just two wickets.

Overnight batsmen and team leaders Thilan Samaraweera and Jehan Mubarak compiled a 56-run fifth-wicket stand that ended when Mubarak was caught at first slip off medium pacer Richard Kelly for 25.

Pushing forward tentatively, vice-captain Mubarak edged to Joseph and departed with the score on 253 for five. Gayan Wijekoon joined Samaraweera and added 40 for the sixth wicket before he was caught behind driving at pacer Ravi Rampaul for 22.

Samaraweera returned from the lunch break two short of his hundred with Kaushal Silva on four, and medium pacer Darren Sammy produced a three-wicket burst that triggered a dramatic collapse.

Sammy bowled Samaraweera without the skipper adding to his lunch-time position and he also sent back Bandara (2) and Nuwan Kulasekara (5) cheaply to reduce Sri Lanka A from 304 for six to 332 for nine. Samaraweera struck 15 fours, faced 186 balls and batted 283 minutes for his 98.

Kaushal Silva flourished near the end with a knock of 42 off 63 balls with six boundaries before left-arm spinner Ryan Hinds dislodged him to wrap up the innings at the same time that rain forced the players off the field for the tea-break a few minutes early.

Sammy finished as the chief wicket-taker with four for 64 off 26 overs with four maidens, while Hinds captured three for 46 off 17.1 overs. When play eventually restarted at 3.45 pm, West Indies reserves lost their in-form left-handed opener Devon Smith without scoring.

The Grenadian, who scored a century in the first "Test" in Trinidad and 69 in the first innings here, was dislodged by pacer Wijekoon.

He followed a delivery that moved away from him slightly and edged to Mubarak at first slip. Wijekoon also removed captain Joseph (11) at 37 for two, and Ryan Hinds (14) followed soon after, bowled by leg-spinner Bandara.

Dowlin has so far stroked five boundaries and will have Narsingh Deonarine (6) with him when West Indies start the final day a tenuous 72 runs ahead with seven wickets standing.

WEST INDIES ‘A’ 
1ST INNINGS 358
SRI LANKA ‘A’ - 
1ST INNINGS
D.A. Gunawardene lbw b RO Hinds 	55 
M.L. Udawatte run out 			76
B.S.M. Warnapura c & b Sammy 		 2 
T.T. Samaraweera b Sammy 		98
R.P. Arnold c Sammy b R.O. Hinds 	 0
J. Mubarak c Joseph b Kelly 		25 
G. Wijekoon c Browne b Rampaul 		22 
J.K. Silva c Joseph b R.O. Hinds 	42 
C.M. Bandara b Sammy 			 2 
K.M.D.N. Kulasekara c Browne b Sammy 	 5 
M.K.D.I. Amerasinghe not out 		 0 
Extras (b-11, w-6, nb-15) 		32
TOTAL (all out, 111.1 overs) 		359

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-103, 2-106, 3-196, 4-197, 5-253, 6-293, 
		 7-304, 8-316, 9-332. 

BOWLING: A.P. Richardson 20-3-74-0, 
	 R. Rampaul 18-1-65-1, R. 
	 Kelly 20-5-58-1, 
	 D.J.G. Sammy 26-4-64-4, 
	 R.O. Hinds 17.1-2-46-3, 
	 W.W. Hinds 3-2-4-0, 
	 N. Deonarine 4-1-9-0, 
	 D.S. Smith 3-0-28-0. 

WEST INDIES ‘A’ 
2ND INNINGS
D.S. Smith c Mubarak b Wijekoon 	 0 
T.M. Dowlin not out 			40 
S.C. Joseph b Wijekoon 			11 
R.O. Hinds b Bandara 			14 
N. Deonarine not out 			 6 
Extras (lb-1, nb-1) 			 2
TOTAL (3 wickets; 23 overs) 		73

TO BAT: W.W. Hinds, P.A. Browne, D.J.G. Sammy, R. Kelly, R. Rampaul, 
        A.P. Richardson. 

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-3, 2-37, 3-58.

BOWLING: M.K.D.I. Amerasinghe 8-1-23-0, 
	 G. Wijekoon 8-1-29-2, 
	 C.M. Bandara 7-2-20-1.

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts