Sri Lanka beat West Indies to level series 1-1

“Where there is a will, there is a way”.
The recent performance of Sri Lankan team under not so good circumstances justifies this saying. Things were not going great post the loss of their experienced captain and batsman Dinesh Chandimal. The ball tampering incident in South Africa was an indication of how careers can get destroyed with such practices. Though Javagal Srinath, the match referee came to a conclusion that Chandimal hadn’t indulged in tampering but he did intend to change shape of the ball. This brought him under the scanner and he was banned for one Test match which saw Suranga Lakmal being appointed as the new captain.

The visitors were facing multiple problems when they walked on field for the third and final test. Suspension of a talented player, punishments imposed to team management for violating rules of ICC, injuries to players like Angelo Mathews and appointment of an inexperienced skipper on the International stage. West Indies were firm favorites going into this Test Match. But as the famous saying goes, “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going”.

Also read: Dinesh Chandimal suspended for one Test Match

Sri Lanka came up with a wonderful performance reducing the home team to just 93 runs in second innings. The new captain Suranga Lakmal impressed with ball in hand by clinching three wickets and was well supported by fellow team mates. They were in a spot of bother at the end of 1st innings as they gave away a 50 run lead but balanced things with accurate spells of bowling.

Meanwhile, the unpredictable West Indian side showed poor batting display and set a target that looked easy for the visitors. It was Sri Lanka’s match to lose and they were on the verge to do so when they found themselves on 81/6 before the two Perera’s got together and saw Sri Lanka home with some good responsible batting. As a result, the series ended in a draw with both teams winning one match each.