Vaas strikes after Jayawardene collars WI

Providence (Guyana): Sri Lanka collected the prized scalp of Chris Gayle to strengthen their hold on the opening Test against West Indies on Sunday after their captain Mahela Jayawardene posted his 22nd Test hundred.

Left-arm fast-medium bowler Chaminda Vaas inflicted an early blow to the West Indies' batting, when he removed Gayle for the seventh time in Tests, as the home team reached 29 for one when stumps were drawn on the second day at the Guyana National Stadium.

In stark contrast, the fortunes were much richer for Jayawardene. He rode his luck to hit the top score of 136, and so too Vaas, to help the visitors reach 476 for eight declared in their first innings. With a little over an hour remaining before the close, Sri Lanka could hardly believe their fortune, when Gayle was adjudged lbw to Vaas for a duck - his fifth against this opponent - playing half forward to a well-pitched delivery.

The Sri Lankans however, failed to make further headway when Ramnaresh Sarwan, playing his first Test in nine months, joined Devon Smith.

Vaas felt the weight of Sarwan's bat when the batsman played a silky drive through mid-off for his first boundary, and Rangana Herath also saw him execute a searing extra cover drive for another boundary.

But Vaas put some pressure on Smith, when he made him fend a rising ball to third slip, where Malinda Warnapura swooped low and half-heartedly claimed a low catch, but a subsequent referral to the video umpire gained the West Indies left-handed opener a reprieve.

Off-spin legened Muttiah Muralitharan also appeared to put Smith under the gun, when appealed for an lbw decision with the batsman on four, but umpire Billy Bowden ruled "not-out", although video replays seemed to suggest differently.

Earlier, Sri Lanka continued from their bedtime total of 269 for four, and the batting of Jayawardene took centre stage. The Sri Lanka captain reached his hundred when he turned his 189th delivery from Dwayne Bravo into mid-wicket for a single. His innings was key to the balance of power, since he added 54 for the sixth wicket with his unrelated namesake Prasanna Jayawardene, who scored 21, and an important 126 for the seventh wicket with Vaas, who was unbeaten on 54.

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