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Captain Dimuth Karunaratne’s outstanding batting and domination from the spin attack guided Sri Lanka to seal a 1ꦉ87-run victory over West Indies in the Galle Te🔜st on Thursday.
The hosts won the toss and scored 386 in their first innings, thanks to a scintillating century by Karunaratne. The left-handed batter played an unbeaten knock of 147 runs with t🐠he help of 15 boundaries.
Apart from the skipper, opening batter Pathum Nissanka (56), middle-order batsman Dhananjaya de Silva (61), and wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal (45) made valuable contributions to the team’s total.
The visitors then replied with 230 — conceding a 156-run lead to their opponents after resuming on 224/9. Praveen Jayawickrama shined with the ball in the first innings, 𒀰taking a four-wicket haul in 19.5 overs.
In the second innings, Sri Lanka declared at 191/4 and set West Indies a massive target of 348 runs to win. Karunartne, who hit a hundred in the first innings, continued the same momentum and again top-scored with an 83-run knock. Senior batter Angelo Mathews also chipped in wi🅘thဣ an unbeaten 69, including eight boundaries.
Chasing 384, the tourists crumbled against a top-quality spin attack and got bundled out for just 160 runs. Ramesh Mendis and Lasith Embuldeniya were the pick of the bowlers for the home team. While Mendis picked up four scalps inღ the second inningsღ, Embuldeniya bagged a tremendous five-wicket haul.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
Superb Team effort to win the First Test!
Well done and the Rest!
Let’s wrap up the series in style 🏆— Dasun Shanaka (@dasunshanaka1)
Proud of this team 🇱🇰
We keep moving forward as a unit
👊🏻👊🏻— Dimuth Karunarathna (@IamDimuth)
No better feeling than winning a game of cricket! Proud of the boys was special @dds75official #praveen#ramesh and all others we’re supeജr. On to the nꦉext
— Angelo Mathews (@Angelo69Mathews)
Welldone on a fantastic start to the world test championship. Clin💯ic𒁃al in all departments. Super game keep going
— Lahiru Thirimanna (@thiri66)
Congratulations to Sri Lanka on their 187 run victory over the West Indies. The timing of the last wicket couldn't have been more precise with the rain appearing immediately afterwards.
— Roshan Abeysinghe (@RoshanCricket)
Well played skipper 👍 absꦇolutely brilꦬliant knock.
— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay)
Brilliant win 👏🏼 so many things to admire & applaud rig🌟ht throughout. 3 Young spinners very impressive , Well lead by & good to see everyone contributing towards this win. Biggest ꧑positive for me is having the crowd back after so long❤️
— Farveez Maharoof (@farveezmaharoof)
//♓twitter.com/dds75official/status/14638100🍃59184472072
