Lahiru Udara made the most of an unexpected opportunity, stroking a magnificent 188 in leading Sri Lanka to 338 for five at the close of the first day of the second and final test against the West Indies at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday.
West Indies hit back with the wickets of Udara and captain Dhananjaya de Silva in the final half-hour, Jayden Seales claiming his 100th test wicket when he removed captain de Silva to a catch at second slip off the second new ball.
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Getting his chance at the top of the order only because of a wrist injury sustained by Pathum Nissanka, Udara launched into the Caribbean bowlers from the outset and sustained the assault for most of the day in an entertaining innings which occupied 248 balls highlighted by five sixes and 21 fours.
He looked destined for a double-century when a miscued hook off Alzarri Joseph was held by Shamar Joseph on the fine-leg boundary minutes before the end of the day.
Udara received considerable assistance from Kamindu Mendis in a dominant 215-run third-wicket partnership after the tourists, who surprisingly chose to bat on a surface that appeared similar to the one on which they were thrashed by an innings and 17 runs in the first test, lost two early wickets to the bowling of Shamar Joseph.
Left-hander Mendis belted 11 fours in his innings of 84 off 120 deliveries before he was brilliantly stumped down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Shai Hope standing up to the medium-pace of allrounder Justin Greaves.
Their partnership is the second-best for Sri Lanka for any wicket in tests against the West Indies, 23 runs short of the 238 put on by Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal, also for the third wicket, in Galle in 2015.
Lahiru Udara delivers a Big Test Match 100 for him and the team.#SLvsWi #Testcricket pic.twitter.com/q4qQpJDAtt
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Hope is back behind the stumps for the West Indies after a shoulder injury ruled him out of the first test. Joshua da Silva, recalled after a year in the wilderness for that match, failed to make the most of the reprieve and was again left out.
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva joined the free scoring with Udara in a fourth-wicket partnership of 93 but followed the opener back to the pavilion for 33.
Kemar Roach, who became just the fifth West Indies bowler to reach the landmark of 300 wickets in tests towards the end of Sri Lanka’s second innings capitulation last Sunday, was not considered for the second test, reportedly because of injury.
His replacement, fast-medium bowler Anderson Phillip, failed to make any impact.
Indeed, the entire home pace attack seemed to miss the steadying influence of the experienced Roach as the bowling generally lacked discipline and control, allowing Udara in particular to capitalise during the first two sessions of play.
West Indies bowled with greater purpose in the final session. By then though, Udara was in full flow, the 32-year-old right-hander having reached his maiden test century in only his third match with a top-edged hook for six off Jayden Seales just before the tea interval.
That blow merely rubbed salt in a wide open Seales wound as the fast bowler was left cursing his misfortune when he induced an edge from Udara, on 56, in the final over to lunch.
The first and second slip fielders John Campbell and Greaves could only watch each other, however, as the ball bisected them at catchable height on the way to the third man boundary.
Seales shared the new ball at the start of the match with Shamar Joseph, who earned swift reward via careless shots from Nishan Madushka and Dinesh Chandimal.
Brandon King was the catcher on both occasions at point and midwicket as Sri Lanka stuttered at 25 for two in what then appeared to be a continuation of their batting misery of five days ago.