ST JOHN’S, Antigua – With venomous tempo and relentless accuracy, West Indies Academy dismantled Sri Lanka Rising Gamers to safe a powerful innings-and-26-run victory simply after lunch on day three of their second four-day encounter on the Coolidge Cricket Floor.
After establishing a commanding first-innings lead of 133 runs, the house aspect wasted no time in urgent their benefit. The guests, resuming precariously on 1 for 1, crumbled underneath stress and had been skittled for a paltry 107 in solely 25.1 overs — a testomony to the Academy’s dominant show with the ball.
Pitman and Smith ship the knockout blows
Proper-arm pacers Kelvin Pitman and Raneico Smith had been the architects of Sri Lanka’s swift demise, every snaring three wickets to go away the vacationers shell-shocked and with out solutions.
Pitman, unerring in line and size, claimed 3 for 22, whereas Smith, who constantly hit awkward lengths, returned figures of three for 29. The duo’s incisive spells up entrance diminished the guests to 27 for 4 contained in the opening hour.
Early collapse units the tone
The slide started nearly instantly. Left-arm seamer Nathan Edward struck with simply the fourth supply of the day, trapping Dilum Sudeera lbw for a duck. Pitman then had opener Shevon Daniel caught for 11, earlier than Smith joined the motion by eradicating Sohan de Livera to go away the Sri Lankans in serious trouble.
Smith would go on so as to add two extra scalps — Ahan Wickramasinghe and Anjala Bandara — as Sri Lanka slipped to a hopeless 64 for seven.
Lakshan stands alone in defiance
The lone vibrant spark for the guests got here within the type of captain Dhananjaya Lakshan, who counterpunched his strategy to a brisk, composed half-century. His innings — the one one to succeed in the 50-mark — offered a flicker of resistance and a glimpse of management underneath duress.
Lakshan discovered some help from Melan Hasanka, with whom he added 37 for the eighth wicket, briefly elevating hopes of pushing the competition right into a fourth day and probably forcing the Academy to bat once more.
Motara closes the door
Nevertheless, the revival was short-lived. Leg-spinner Zishan Motara, launched to wash up the tail, struck a important blow when he pinned Lakshan lbw, breaking the again of the resistance. The top got here swiftly after that, with Motara ending with 2 for 4 in simply 2.1 overs, and Edward wrapping issues up along with his second wicket.
With this dominant victory, West Indies Academy leveled the collection in emphatic vogue, showcasing their rising depth and self-discipline. The pacers’ firepower, coupled with sharp help from the spinners, proved an excessive amount of for a Sri Lankan outfit that had no solutions past their defiant captain.
The ultimate match of the collection now guarantees to be a riveting decider as each groups look to grab momentum and assert their credentials on the rising gamers’ stage.
