Sri Lanka A 184 for 4 (Gunawardene 53) v West Indies A 267 (sammy 88, Kulasekara 6-77)
Scorecard
West Indies A survived the attack of Sri Lanka A's openers to hold their own after day two of the four-day match at Guaracara Park. When Avishka Gunawardene and Mahela Udawatte put on 96 at about a run-a-minute and forced Sylvester Joseph into rapid bowling changes, the Windies were losing their slim grip on the game.
But double strikes, first by Darren Sammy and later by Ryan Hinds redressed the balance. It capped a respectable day for West Indies after their false start on Friday. It was an especially good one for Sammy. Earlier, his vital half-century galvanised the lower order. Their last five wickets added 214 to get the score up to 267 after the top order had succumbed for just 53 on the first day.
Beginning the day on 9 with his side on 130 for 6, Sammy batted through the first session and a further 34 minutes into the second, before he was last out for 80. It had taken him 116 balls and two hours and 42 minutes to make. And while there were three fours in succession off Ruchira Perera, and an awesome pulled six onto the roof off Gayan Wijekoon to admire, Sammy's knock was about much more than that.
His nine fours and a six were spread over four partnerships and was the solid thread which knitted the lower order together. He was responsible for producing stands of 40 for the seventh wicket with Narsingh Deonarinean, 69 for the eighth with Richard Kelly and a useful 28 for the tenth with Andrew Richardson.
Deonarine will be disappointed that his well constructed knock was ended by a miscued drive off leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi which was skied to Nuwan Kulasekera in the covers. At the time, with fellow allrounder Kelly coming to the crease and the score on 157 for 7, a ton for Sammy didn't look likely either. But Kelly proved to be good and productive company.
A tally of 300 still looked possible while Sammy and Kelly were together. But then the second new ball separated them. Wijekoon was preferred as Kualsekera's new-ball partner this time, in preference to the more erratic Perera. In his first over, an unbalanced Kelly turned a ball on his legs into Weerakoon's hands at square-leg.
Windies A went to lunch on 239 for 8, Sammy, 60, partnered by Ravi Rampaul. But in the first over after the break, Rampaul became Kulasekera's sixth wicket when he gave a catch to wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva.
Last man Richardson, though, played with a straight bat while Sammy tried to accelerate. He was succeeding beautifully, the six off Wijekoon highlighting the effort. But, next ball, a rush of blood produced a rash flash which he snicked to the keeper. As he walked away, Sammy bore the look of a man convinced the job was not done. When Gunawardene and Udawatte had added 71 in 15 overs by tea, such feelings would have been justified.
Opening bowler Richardson was too short in the beginning. Rampaul, on his return, was aggressive and had one catch dropped off him but was not consistent enough. And Kelly, often not the best starter, got lashed for 20 in four overs. It was only when Sammy, bowling a fuller length and better control, got into the action that the breaks came.
He got both left-handed openers, Gunawardene superbly caught at point by a leaping Ryan Hinds and Udawatte bowled by an in-ducker. The pair fell within seven runs of each other. And after just another 29 were added, Hinds followed up with the wickets of Jeevan Mendis, and Jehan Mubarak .
With 84 runs still to get for a first-innings lead, Sri Lanka A captain Tilan Samaraweera, batting on 33, knows they still have the upper hand.