Vaas strikes after Jayawardene collars WI

Fortune favoured Jayawardene on two occasions however, during his innings which lasted just over six hours. He saw a top-edged cut at a delivery from left-arm spin bowler Sulieman Benn fly past his opposite number Gayle desperate grab at slip when he was 39, and on 126, Bravo dropped him at fine leg off Gayle when he essayed a sweep. Jayawardene never let them trouble him, and he soldiered on to be the glue that held his side's innings together, after West Indies removed Tillakeratne Dilshan in the first half-hour, when he was adjudged lbw to Jerome Taylor.

The two Jayawardenes then carried Sri Lanka to 330 for five at lunch, but not without incident, since Prasanna watched a short delivery from Bravo drop millimetres short of Benn at mid-wicket when he essayed a pull just prior to the interval.

West Indies claimed the second new ball immediately after the interval, and Powell struck in the first over, when he bowled Prasanna Jayawardene when the batsman drove loosely at a good delivery which moved back and sneaked between his bat and pad. Vaas arrived and had to weather an early storm from Powell and fellow fast bowler Jerome Taylor.

Vaas edged between third slip Bravo and gully Benn to third man for four off Taylor before he had scored, and then Devon Smith dropped him on four at third slip off the same bowler. Like the other batsmen before him, Vaas quickly assessed the conditions, and proceeded to grind away for the remainder of the afternoon period to help Jayawardene carry Sri Lanka to 418 for six at tea.

After the break, Jayawardene and Vaas continued to plunder the West Indies bowling, and put Sri Lanka in an impregnable position. Jayawardene's rich vein of luck soon ran out, when he tried to reverse sweep Gayle and was dubiously adjudged lbw, but video replays revealed that Bowden probably erred, since the ball struck gloves of the batsman and came nowhere near his pads.

Gayle added the scalp of Thilan Thushara caught at deep mid-wicket for a duck, but Vaas drove Benn to long-off for a single to reach his 50, and a few flourishing strokes from Rangana Herath hasten the declaration.

Sri Lanka are aiming to win their first Test match in the Caribbean having lost two and drawn two in their previous four. The visitors are also eyeing a Test series victory for the first time in the Caribbean.

Day I report

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