Herath spins Sri Lanka to big win over West Indies

Resuming from the overnight score of 67-2, the West Indies lost four wickets in the morning session.

Herath had taken 6 for 68 in the first innings with a dazzling display that forced the West Indies to follow on after being all out for 251.

Sri Lanka have won the first Test of the Sobers-Tissera Trophy in a convincing manner as they won by an innings and six runs at Galle.

Though the spinner missed out on a hat trick, Sri Lanka kept the West Indies in trouble with Darren Bravo (31) falling to a peach of a swinger by Nuwan Pradeep that edged back to wicketkeeper Kusal Janith Perera.

The 37-year-old continued to be West Indies’ tormentor-in-chief as he grabbed four wickets in his second spell to complete the haul.

Herath, who was adjudged because the Man-of-the-Match, had wreaked havoc on the vacationers by scalping six wickets of their first innings to implement the comply with-on towards the West Indies.

Bravo then took responsibility for the innings, with a knock that has so far come from 44 balls and included two sixes – both sweetly timed straight hits in successive overs from Siriwardana.

Denesh Ramdin was next to fall, caught at slip off the bowling of Milinda Siriwardana.

Having put on a mammoth first innings total of 484, Sri Lanka were on top of the game since Day One.

After lunch, captain Jason Holder was brilliantly run out by Mathews with a direct hit from first slip as Sri Lanka’s fielding impressed.

Blackwood and Shannon Gabriel added 38 for the last wicket, briefly raising the spectre of forcing Sri Lanka to bat again, but Blackwood was eventually caught off Prasad s bowling just eight runs short of a century.

“When I play here, there is always something for me as a spinner”, Herath said after picking up the man of the match award.

He failed to make only his second Test ton, though, holing out to Silva off Prasad as the home side sealed a big victory inside four days.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said Sir Garry will be a guest of Sri Lanka Cricket during his one week stay in the country and will be a guest of honor at the second Test between Sri Lanka and West Indies to be played at the P Sara Oval from 22-26 October.