Updated: Gayle hits 333 as Windies maintain stranglehold

Chris Gayle

GALLE, Sri Lanka, (Reuter

Chris Gayle
Chris Gayle

s) – Opener Chris Gayle  tormented Sri Lanka with a career best 333 as West Indies took  control of the first test before declaring on 580-9 today.
Gayle became the first West Indian to score a triple century  on foreign soil and the fourth player to score two triple tons,  joining Australian great Don Bradman, India’s Virender Sehwag  and compatriot Brian Lara.
With the batsmen swiping away the Sri Lankan attack with  ease on the placid pitch, West Indies looked set for a huge  first innings total but the dismissal of Brendan Nash (64)  sparked a collapse and the hosts hit back to claim six wickets  for 21 runs.
Sri Lanka will resume the third day on 54 for one.
Jamaican Gayle caressed Ajantha Mendis to the extra cover  boundary to bring up his triple century, and promptly dropped  down on his knees in celebration while his team mates applauded  him loudly from their balcony.
Just when it seemed that Gayle could surpass Lara’s record  mark of 400, spinner Mendis brought Sri Lanka back into the  match with a great spell of bowling in the final session and  claimed five wickets for 13 runs off 46 balls.
He broke a 167-run fourth wicket stand between Gayle and  Nash by trapping the latter lbw. He went on to pick up the  scalps of Dwayne Bravo (five), Gayle, Darren Sammy (naught) and  Andre Russell (two) to take his second six wicket haul at this  venue finishing with figures of six for 169.
Gayle looked in control until he suffered cramps on his  right leg after passing his previous highest score of 313 and  had to be assisted by a runner. He struggled to handle the   spinners and eventually was bowled between bat and pad by Mendis  when he failed to get to the pitch of the ball.
Gayle returned to a standing ovation from the pavilion  having scored his runs off 437 balls with 34 fours and nine  sixes.
The hosts bowled a much tighter line to slow down the  scoring rate as the West Indies lost Shivnarine Chanderpaul for  32 before going to lunch on a formidable 429-3.
Sri Lanka believed they had trapped Gayle leg before when  they used up their second referral of the innings off the first  ball of the day when Mendis rapped the fully stretched opener on  the pads.
However, the decision went in favour of the batsman meaning  Sri Lanka had lost out on both referrals.
Gayle was a total contrast to the first day where he belted  the Sri Lankan bowling all around the ground, taking a more  restrained approach during the morning session.
He moved past Brian Lara’s score of 221, the highest by a  West Indian against Sri Lanka and also past the highest ground  score of 237 by Mahela Jayawardene against South Africa in 2004.
Sri Lanka’s only success of the session was the wicket of  Chanderpaul, who was deceived by the extra bounce spinner Suraj  Randiv managed to extract. He went for an ill-advised cut shot  and the edge was gobbled up at slip by Jayawardene.
Before his dismissal Chanderpaul became only the second West  Indian after Brian Lara to pass 9,000 runs in test cricket,  completing the feat in his 127th match.

Scoreboard

West Indies first innings (overnight 362-2)

C Gayle b Mendis                       333

A Barath c M Jayawardene b Randiv       50

Darren Bravo c Samaraweera b Mendis     58

S Chanderpaul c M Jayawardene b Randiv  32

B Nash lbw b Mendis                     64

Dwayne Bravo lbw b Mendis                5

C Baugh not out                          8

D Sammy b Mendis                         0

A Russell b Mendis                       2

S Shillingford st P Jayawardene b Randiv 1

Extras: (b-2, lb-6, nb-12, w-7)         27

Total: (nine wickets declared)         580
Fall of wickets: 1-110, 2-306, 3-392, 4-559, 5-565, 6-566,  7-566, 8-579, 9-580.
Did not bat: K Roach.
Bowling: Thushara 21-4-79-0 (4w), Prasad 30-3-116-0 (2w,  9nb), Mendis 59-6-169-6 (3nb), Randiv 48.2-3-183-3 (1w), Dilshan  3-0-15-0, Mathews 2-0-10-0.

Sri Lanka first innings

T Paranavitana not out                  10

T Dilshan       c Shillingford b Russell 0

K Sangakkara not out                    33

Extras: (b-4, lb-3, nb-3, w-1)          11

Total: (one wicket, 12.2 overs)         54
Fall of wicket: 1-6.
To bat: M Jayawardene, T Samaraweera, A Mathews, P  Jayawardene, S Randiv, A Mendis, D Prasad, T Thushara.
Bowling: Roach 4-1-23-0 (3nb), Russell 3-1-12-1 (1w),  Shillingford 3-2-1-0, Sammy 2.2-0-11-0.