Greaves’ marathon innings leaves Test headed for draw

ST JOHN’S, Antigua:

Justin Greaves defied Sri Lanka’s bowling attack for over eight hours to leave the second Test heading for a draw heading into Tuesday’s final day.

Greaves’ knock of 180 off 325 balls sucked the life out of any hopes Sri Lanka had of pushing for victory on Monday’s penultimate day, as the West Indies were dismissed for 499 in 165.5 overs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, giving their opponents a 50-run first innings lead.

West Indies then struck back in the final session by grabbing two wickets to reduce the visitors to 92 for two – an overall lead of 142 runs.

The home side commenced the day in a strong position of 318 for four, with Shai Hope on 86 and Greaves on 85.

Moments later, Hope finally scored his first Test century in the Caribbean and fifth overall by driving Milan Rathnayake through cover for a single to see the Windies progress to 349 for four.

A single off the first ball of the next over by Hope ensured the West Indies avoided the follow-on. And after being stuck on 99 for some time, Greaves brought up the next milestone by reaching just his third Test hundred – and second at the venue – with a quick single to mid-on.

Minutes away from that interval with the score 386 for four, Hope was stumped in peculiar fashion. Left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha’s delivery down the leg side was missed by Hope as he tried to pad it away, but the ball hit wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis’ glove and ricocheted onto the stumps with the batter out of his crease to dismiss him for 112, and end their 242-run partnership, the highest ever at the venue.

He faced 243 balls and spent just over six hours at the crease.

With captain Roston Chase joining Greaves, the Windies went to lunch comfortably placed at 406 for five.

The duo put on 52 for the sixth wicket, but after being struck a couple of times with short deliveries, Chase was eventually undone by another short ball from Fernando, which he could only edge behind to the keeper to be caught for 23.

Fernando then dismissed Anderson Phillip for a duck and Rathnayake had Alzarri Joseph caught at fine leg for 13 to leave the Windies 465 for eight.

Greaves added 34 crucial runs with tailenders Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales, before he was the last man out to bring his eight-and-a-half-hour innings, in which he struck 14 fours and two sixes, to an end.

Fernando was the pick of Sri Lanka’s bowlers with 5-130, while Jayasuriya took 3-131.

Sri Lanka needed quick runs in their second innings, but instead found themselves in early trouble when Shamar Joseph trapped Lahiru Udara lbw with just two runs on the board.

Things got worse when Nishan Fernando could only parry a short delivery from Alzarri Joseph to slip where John Campbell took a spectacular catch at full stretch to see them slip to 32 for two.