21/03Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of West Indies at North Sound, Mar 21-25 2021
Match drawn
Player of the Match
Nkrumah Bonner
Nkrumah BonnerWest Indies
21/03Result
1st Test, Sri Lanka tour of West Indies at North Sound, Mar 21-25 2021
Match drawn
Player of the Match
Nkrumah Bonner
Nkrumah BonnerWest Indies

4:20 pm Holder claims the spoils in his first match again amongst the rank and file part of the XI. The now ex-captain was very disciplined on his lines, especially against the tail to accelerate the Sri Lanka collapse after tea. Holder claimed four of the wickets to fall after tea in Sri Lanka's slide of 5 for 19 just now to end the innings. But Roach will go down as an unsung hero today. Bowled exquisitely in each spell across the three sessions and deserved more than the three wickets he ended with. West Indies completely justify Brathwaite's decision to bowl first at the toss. Now they're in the driver's seat with more than an hour of play left in the day for the batsmen to capitalize on the position the bowlers have given them.

AmericanCricket: "@Mark: I think this Windies team has the most potential for success that I've seen in a while. Sure, Bangladesh and SL are weakish teams nowadays, but beating Bdesh at home is tough. Not to mention they won their first match in the England tour and beat England in the Windies before that as well. The glimpses of brilliance to me show that there's something there. All we need is consistent performance to realize an ascendance. "

69.4
W
Holder to Embuldeniya, OUT, full on middle, this one looks stone dead! Embuldeniya calls for DRS review again but it would take a miracle to save him on this occasion. Holder pitches this up very full as it seams in to plunk him on the pads full in front of middle stump playing all around this delivery. Huge appeal upheld. Ball-tracking shows this time the extra bounce is not going to take this over the stumps, umpire's call clipping the leg stump bails. DRS denied him a five-wicket haul a few minutes ago but this time DRS confirms his eighth five-wicket haul in Tests.

L Embuldeniya lbw b Holder 3 (24m 15b 0x4 0x6) SR: 20.00

69.3
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball closer to off stump, defended off a thick edge to backward point.
69.2
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball on fifth stump, Embuldeniya dangles the bat away from his body and is beaten.

Mark: "The million dollar question: does the recent success that the West Indies have had augur a rise in West Indian fortunes and a return to the strong sides of yesteryear, or is it just a reflection of having played some very weak teams recently?"

69.1
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball on fifth stump, seams away and left alone.

END OF OVER:
69 | 3 Runs | SL: 169/9

  • Vishwa Fernando1 (11b)
  • Lasith Embuldeniya3 (11b)
  • Kemar Roach16-2-47-3
  • Jason Holder17-6-27-4

West Indies might have the tallest slip cordon in history today. Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder and Rahkeem Cornwall.

Roddy: "Roach is a wonderful bowler. He also appears so happy in himself. Smiling and joking with his teammates."

68.6
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, good length ball on fourth stump, beats a poke away from his body.
68.5
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, full on off, defended into the off side.
68.4
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, edge! Doesn't carry to second slip. Full in the fourth stump channel to draw out a poke, but it short hops Alzarri Joseph at second slip before caroming to Holder at third slip.

No ball called on the overstep by the third umpire. Clearly over the line on replay.

68.4
1nb
Roach to MVT Fernando, 1 no ball, full and drifting down the leg side at 135 kph, left alone.
68.3
1
Roach to Embuldeniya, 1 run, back of a length on off, goes back to tap in front of point with soft hands. Too easy to let a tailender get off strike when he's been flummoxing the lefties quite well.

Roach around the stumps to the lefty now.

68.2
1
Roach to MVT Fernando, 1 run, good length ball on middle and leg, goes back to flick this wide of mid-on for a single.
68.1
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, fullish length on fourth stump, defended into the off side.

END OF OVER:
68 | 2 Runs | SL: 166/9

  • Lasith Embuldeniya2 (10b)
  • Vishwa Fernando0 (5b)
  • Jason Holder17-6-27-4
  • Kemar Roach15-2-44-3
67.6
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball but tailing well down leg.
67.5
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball on off, defended.
67.4
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, seams this in again, Embuldeniya has been a sitting duck with this around the stumps angle. He plays around this good length ball with a forward prod, struck on the knee roll in front of middle. LBW shout upheld. Sri Lanka call for a review. Only doubt from the live shot looked like whether it was going to go past leg stump or not from the around the stumps angle. But actually it's the height that winds up being the issue as ball-tracking shows it sailing over the top. Holder is denied a five-wicket haul by DRS!
67.3
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball, can't get it away.
67.2
2
Holder to Embuldeniya, 2 runs, dropped! good length ball on fourth stump, pokes at this and a thick inside edge flies just off the forearm of Blackwood at forward short leg. He snatched at this a bit of an overeager manner and it his hand extended past the ball. Very tough chance.
67.1
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, good length ball on sixth stump, seams away and left alone.

END OF OVER:
67 | (wicket maiden) | SL: 164/9

  • Vishwa Fernando0 (5b)
  • Lasith Embuldeniya0 (4b)
  • Kemar Roach15-2-44-3
  • Jason Holder16-6-25-4

Wicket maiden for Roach.

66.6
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, good length ball seams/swings away again from fourth stump at 131 kph.
66.5
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, short ball on fifth stump, Fernando sways away.
66.4
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, another full swinging delivery on middle stump, he's searching for the yorker but not getting it quite full enough and it's blocked out.
66.3
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, fullish length on middle, defended to point.
66.2
0
Roach to MVT Fernando, no run, another outswinger on fourth stump that foxes the No. 11 playing inside the line.

Vishwa Fernando is the last man in.

Holder may currently have more wickets and better figures, but for me Roach has been by far the standout bowler. He could have four himself if not for a dropped chance only for the same batsmen to be dismissed by Cornwall four balls later.

66.1
W
Roach to Chameera, OUT, ball of the day! Roach pitches this up on a fullish length on off stump, Chameera goes to flick this through midwicket but it swings away off the pitch to straighten and send off stump cartwheeling back.

PVD Chameera b Roach 2 (11m 7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 28.57

END OF OVER:
66 | 1 Run 1 Wkt | SL: 164/8

  • Lasith Embuldeniya0 (4b)
  • Dushmantha Chameera2 (6b)
  • Jason Holder16-6-25-4
  • Kemar Roach14-1-44-2
65.6
0
Holder to Embuldeniya, no run, another good length ball on fifth stump that seams in with Embuldeniya going to leave it alone. The extra bounce from Holder though pings him too high on the thigh though to consider going for a review.

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West Indies 4th innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st12KC BrathwaiteJD Campbell
2nd66NE BonnerKC Brathwaite
3rd105NE BonnerKR Mayers
4th21NE BonnerJ Blackwood
5th32NE BonnerJO Holder