Vaas
KANDY, Sri Lanka, CMC:
DAREN POWELL and Chaminda Vaas, two bowlers with contrasting methods and at the opposite ends of their careers, stood tall on a dramatic opening day in the second and final cricket Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies yesterday.
Powell, still searching for a permanent place in his 11th Test, bowled with pace and accuracy to collect a Test-best five wickets for 25 runs from 13.1 overs to send Sri Lanka crashing to 150 all out in their first innings, after they were sent in to bat on a hard, true Asgiriya Stadium pitch.
Vaas, bowling with the swing and cunning weaned from 86 Tests, then cut through the visitors' batting with four wickets for 17 runs from 13 overs to leave them on 92 for five when stumps were drawn.
STEMMED THE TIDE
Having struggled like most of his teammates in the first Test in Colombo a week earlier, a battling unbeaten 36 from Narsingh Deonarine was holding the West Indies innings together, however.
Deonarine showed admirable discipline and gritty determination in holding firm for almost 2 1/2 hours to save his side from a complete collapse after Vaas had sent them tumbling to 27 for four.
Deonarine stemmed the tide in a 48-run, fifth-wicket stand with Sylvester Joseph, who Vaas claimed in the final hour to inflict another set back on the West Indies' fight back.
Returning for a second spell, Vaas removed Joseph immediately for 18 to a low second slip catch by Tillekeratne Dilshan.
Deonarine and Denesh Ramdin, who is not out on eight, also needed more than one generous slice of luck to remain together to the close.
Ramdin, who seemed to be carried away by the effusive praise of his performances on his entry to Test cricket, was fortunate to survive.
With three more dismissals under his belt as the home team folded on a pitch offering some encouragement to the fast bowlers, the wicketkeeper/batsman was missed before he had scored by his opposite number Kumar Sangakkara attempting a cut at left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
With five overs left to the close, Ramdin then earned the benefit of whatever little doubt there was in an lbw appeal from Vaas to umpire Tony Hill.
The New Zealander, officiating in his first Test as a member of the elite international panel, had earlier ruled Shivnarine Chanderpaul lbw for 13, when there might have been a question mark as to the height of the delivery.
BODY BLOW
The West Indies captain's dismissal, after scores of 69 and 48 not out in the first Test, looked to be the body blow from which this hugely inexperienced team would not recover.
Chanderpaul's demise compounded another woeful top-order effort triggered with Ryan Ramdass being run out for three, when opening partner Xavier Marshall failed to respond to the debutant's hell-for-leather sprint for a second run to long-leg in the third over of their reply.
Marshall then drove the next delivery from Vaas unerringly to Marvan Atapattu at mid-off, and when Runako Morton was bowled by the same bowler offering no shot in the first over after tea, Deonarine joined Chanderpaul with the innings already tottering at 12 for three.
It was a situation not unfamiliar to the captain, but would certainly have dampened his mood after Powell, Tino Best with three for 50, and another outstanding effort in the field justified his decision to put the opposition in on winning the toss.
FIRST BREAKTHROUGH
That sharpness in the field was evident early on, when Morton completed a catch high to his right at second slip to remove Sangakkara off Powell for just six to reduce Sri Lanka to 17 for two.
In his previous over, Powell effected the first breakthrough, as Sanath Jayasuriya pushed forward and Ramdin celebrated a comfortable catch.
Deonarine put down Atapattu at short-leg off Powell in the first clear-cut lapse by the West Indies in the series, but Best made amends with his very first ball, bowling the Sri Lanka captain through the gate for 17 to immediately erase the memory of his ordinary effort in the first Test.
Inspired by that strike, Best drew Mahela Jayawardene into a loose stroke in his next over, and Morton snared a straightforward second slip catch to leave the hosts faltering at 42 for four.
STANDINGS
SRI LANKA
1st Innings
M. Atapattu b Best 17
S. Jayasuriya c wkpr Ramdin b Powell 2
K. Sangakkara c Morton b Powell 6
M. Jayawardene c Morton b Best 6
T. Samaraweera c Deonarine b Banks 37
T. Dilshan run out (Best) 36
C. Vaas c Ramdass b Best 6
G. Wijekoon c Ramdass b Powell 1 4
R. Herath c wkpr Ramdin b Powell 1
M. Muralitharan not out 18
L. Malinga c wkpr Ramdin b Powell 0
Extras (lb6, nb1) 7
TOTAL (all out) 150
