Windies batsmen struggle on rain-hit opening day

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, CMC – West Indies batsmen made a sluggish start to their tour of Sri Lanka, on a rain-hit opening day of their three-day tour match here today.

Opener Kraigg Brathwaite top-scored with 46 but West Indies struggled to 127 for six against the Sri Lanka Cricket Board President’s XI, on a day when only 46 overs were possible at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Rookie Shai Hope was unbeaten on 24 while Darren Bravo made 21 but opener Rajindra Chandrika (18), Jermaine Blackwood (3), Shane Dowrich (3) and Marlon Samuels (0) all failed.

Off-spinner Suraj Randiv was the President’s XI best bowler with three for 33 while seamer Suranga Lakmal supported with two for ten.

Rain and a wet outfield forced the abandonment of the morning session and when play finally got underway at 1:45 pm, West Indies lost Chandrika cheaply with the score on 23, pulling Lakmal to mid-wicket in the 16th over.

The right-hander faced 49 balls and struck three fours.

Brathwaite and Bravo then put on 55 for the second wicket, to take the Windies to tea at 78 for one.

The left-handed Bravo fell to the fourth delivery following the break, however, edging one behind off Randiv without a run added to the interval total.

He struck three fours and a six in 32 balls at the crease.

His dismissal sparked a collapse where five wickets fell for 35 runs as Randiv and Lakmal ran through the middle order.

Opener Kraigg Brathwaite … top-scored with 46 for West Indies.
Opener Kraigg Brathwaite … top-scored with 46 for West Indies.

In the second over after tea, the right-handed Samuels edged the fourth ball he had faced to the keeper off Lakmal, and Blackwood spent 19 balls at the crease before holing out to mid-on off Randiv.

The obdurate Brathwaite, who faced 102 balls and counted six fours, perished in the next over lbw to 24-year-old seamer Vishwa Fernando and Dowrich fell six overs before the eventual close, to give Ramdiv his third wicket of the day.

Though 59 overs had been scheduled, bad light forced a premature end to the day’s play, with Hope and Denesh Ramdin, unbeaten on five, attempting to steady the innings.

The right-handed Hope has so far struck three fours in a 35-ball knock.