Rain puts dampener on Windies’ chase

West Indies are slight favourites to win the first Test with Sri Lanka, but the Colombo weather might ruin any chance of a result.

Sri Lanka paceman Dhammika Prasad trapped opener Kraigg Brathwaite lbw for three with what turned out to be the last ball on the third evening to leave the visitors on 20 for one.

Mathews and Milinda Siriwardana (42), Sri Lanka’s top-scorer from the first innings, added 67 for the fifth wicket to steady the innings and took the team’s lead closer to the 200-run mark.

West Indies, however, will face a big test of spin and would have to produce a determined batting performance when they would come out to chase the target on the fourth day.

Warrican had Kaushal Silva (32) caught by Jermaine Blackwood in the slips and in the next over Taylor had Dinesh Chandimal (12) caught behind by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.

Rangana Herath made a helpful contribution of 18, utilizing each the traditional and reverse sweep towards the spinners, earlier than he turned Brathwaite’s third sufferer.

And having wrested the initiative away from the tourists, Sri Lanka then drove home their advantage as debutant Kusal Mendis justified the faith of the selectors with an entertaining innings of 39. “But the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled really well”.

West Indies had reached 20 for 1 with Shai Hope on 17 when rain stopped play on Saturday evening, and the covers remained on the field throughout Sunday at the P Sara Oval.