Banks and Collymore undermine Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka 141-6 v West Indies

The West Indies off-spinner Omari Banks and the fast bowler Corey Collymore each claimed two wickets as the home side restricted Sri Lanka to 141 for 6 at tea on the first day of the second Test here in Jamaica yesterday.

Kumar Sangakkara, who was dropped twice, provided the main resistance for the visitors with an unbeaten 45 in three hours.

Banks kept the pressure on the Sri Lankans, who had limped to lunch on 77 for 3. He removed the captain Hashan Tillakaratne (13) to an edged catch to Brian Lara at first slip while Romesh Kaluwitharana's inside edge glanced the thigh of the West Indies wicketkeeper, Ridley Jacobs, before being snapped up by Marlon Samuels at backward short leg.

Just before the interval, Collymore accounted for Kumar Dharmasena (6), who fended a catch to Samuels at gully.

Earlier, Lara won the toss and, the openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Marvan Atapattu shared 38 through the first hour. Jayasuriya opened up with a typical salvo against Taylor, the young Jamaican whose lack of control hinted at youthful nerves in front of his home crowd. The left-hander hit him out of the attack with four boundaries, three off successive balls, but fell for 26 to a cleverly disguised slower ball from Collymore that provided a leg-side catch to Jacobs.

Fidel Edwards, making his debut in his first first-class match of the year, should have claimed his first wicket with his fifth ball in Test cricket, but Atapattu's clipped on-drive was floored by Banks at square leg. But in the next over, Atapattu drove at Vasbert Drakes and edged to second slip where Chris Gayle grasped a good, two-handed effort to his right.

Sangakkara and Jayawardene had revived the innings with help from another dropped catch. Sangakkara was on four when Taylor grassed a regulation return catch. Finally, though there was success for Edwards who broke the stand of 29 on the stroke of lunch claiming the wicket of Mahela Jayawardene.