West Indies captain Brian Lara hugs pacer Corey Collymore after he claimed one of seven second innings victims during the second and deciding Test against Sri Lanka at Sabina Park yesterday. Collymore won both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer THE SECOND and final Test of the Cable & Wireless series between the West Indies and Sri Lanka ended inside three days at Sabina Park yesterday with the Windies, powered by a brilliant, record-breaking performance from Corey Collymore and a scintillating third-wicket partnership between captain Brian Lara and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, winning by a commanding seven wickets.
In winning the match, the West Indies won the series as the first Test in St. Lucia ended in a draw after rain had washed out an entire day.
Set a victory target of 212 a few minutes before lunch after Sri Lanka had scored 208, the West Indies 191, and Sri Lanka 194, the home team, left with 72 overs to the end of the day's play plus the fourth day and the fifth day, shook off an early setback and ignored a minor interruption before sprinting to victory at 212 for three off 42.4 overs with the right-handed Sarwan, batting at number three, caught way out at cover for 82 with score tied, and the left-handed Lara, batting at number four, not out on 80.
With Sri Lanka resuming on 129 for five, leading by 146 after a first innings lead of 17 runs, and the match, based on the West Indies first innings, in the balance and apparently heading for a tight finish, Collymore, at 25 and playing in only his third Test after a promising start in 1999, picked up all five wickets for 31 runs to finish with seven for 57 as Sri Lanka lost their five remaining wickets for 64 runs in 16 overs.
BEST ONE
All five wickets were the result of good deliveries. For the man who celebrated his return to Test cricket with five wickets in the first innings of the drawn first Test, however, the first one was the best one - the ball, delivered from over the wicket, pitching offstump, and instead of continuing on its line, it straightened, slipped between bat and pad, and knocked back the offstump.
Despite Collymore's heroics in becoming the third most successful bowler in the 38 Test matches played at Sabina Park, the contest was still in the balance when the West Indies started their hunt up against left-arm swing bowler Chaminda Vaas and offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, and chasing the highest total of the match to win.
England's Trevor Bailey who took seven for 34 in 1954 and England's John Snow with seven for 49 in 1968, were the others. They were just ahead of Wes Hall who took seven for 69 against England in 1960 at Sabina, while Courtney Walsh took seven for 37 against New Zealand, but at Wellington, in 1995.
The balance, in fact, appeared tilting in Sri Lanka's favour when Vaas trapped Chris Gayle leg before wicket for zero at one for one, and if not as much, also when Wavell Hinds swept at Muralitharan and was bowled for 29 at 50 for two in the 15th over.
For Sri Lanka, however, the coming of Lara to join Sarwan was something to regret.
In a confident start, Lara swept his first delivery, from Muralitharan, to the square-leg boundary. Shortly after that, Sarwan leaned back, cut Prabath Nissanka to the point boundary, eased forward, drove the pacer through extra-cover and in 27 overs, it was all over as the pair smashed 161 before, with one run to win Sarwan, probably looking to finish in style, square-drove Vaas and walked away a disappointed man as the ball, travelling like a rocket, went straight to Sanath Jayasuriya.
BATTING AT ITS BEST
It was batting at its best - especially after tea when they sailed into the bowling, treated not only Nissanka and Kumar Dharmasena with disdain, but also Vaas and Muralitharan, and blasted 14 fours and two sixes while scoring 91 runs off 11.4 overs.
In one over, off three successive deliveries, Sarwan, who faced 110 deliveries, hooked Nissanka for six, drove through extra-cover for four and then drove straight for another four. In another one and to the delight of the cheering fans, he hit Muralitharan one bounce to the mid-wicket boundary and then swept the next delivery to the square-leg boundary.
In over one, Lara chipped and drove Dharmasena for successive boundaries to extra-cover and long-off and with victory in sight, went back and pulled Vaas over mid-wicket for six.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies vs Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka 1st Innings - 208
West Indies 1st Innings - 191
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings (o/n 129/5)
M. Atapattu c wkpr Jacobs b Taylor 28
S. Jayasuriya LBW b Collymore 13
K. Sangakkara c wkpr Jacobs b Collymore 12
M. Jayawardene c wkpr Jacobs b Edwards 32
R. Kaluwitharana b Taylor 23
H. Tillekeratne b Collymore 7
K. Dharmasena c Lara b Collymore 20
C. Vaas c Lara b Collymore 21
T. Thushara c Lara b Collymore 13
M. Muralitharan c Sarwan b Collymore 6
P. Nissanka not out 0
Extras (4b, 6lb, 2w, 7nb) 19
Total (54 overs - all out) 194
Fall of wkts: 1-25, 2-43, 3-80, 4-118, 5-118, 6-138, 7-173, 8-176, 9-184, 10-194
Bowling: Edwards 15-2-54-1 (1w, 1nb), Collymore 16-2-57-7 (3nb), Drakes 11-3-29-0 (1w, 3nb), Taylor 10-1-38-2, Banks 2-0-6-0
West Indies 2nd Innings
C. Gayle LBW b Vaas 0
W. Hinds b Muralitharan 29
R. Sarwan c Jayasuriya b Vaas 82
B. Lara not out 80
M. Samuels not out 0
Extras (8b, 3lb, 4w, 6nb) 21
Total (42.4 overs - 3 wkts) 212
Fall of wkts: 1-1, 2-50, 3-211
Bowling: Vaas 12-2-54-2 (4nb), Thushara 5-0-23-0 (4w), Nissanka 8-1-64-0, Muralitharan 15.4-1-48-1 (2nb), Dharmasena 2-0-12-0
Result: West Indies won by 7 wkts.
Man of the Match: Corey Collymore
Man of the Series: Corey Collymore
