West Indies vs Sri Lanka: Kemar Roach castles resolute Lahiru Thirimanne with a peach

West Indies and Sri Lanka are currently involved in the first Test at Antigua that is intriguingly poised at the end of Day 3. The Sri Lankan batting lineup has ‘showed up’ in the second innings, and the visitors ended Day 3 with their scorecard reading 255/4.

At the end of the first innings, it looked as if the West Indies would run away with the Test match. The Sri Lankan side was trailing by 102 runs when they began their second essay and it looked as if the visitors would go down meekly. But then, led by a resolute 91 from Oshada Fernando, the Sri Lankan side has now staged an incredible fight back with the bat.

Apart from Fernando, the other batsman who kept West Indies at bay was Lahiru Thirimanne. The opening batsman scored a 201 ball 76, as Sri Lanka played out 86 overs and lost just 4 wickets in the second innings. The visitors are currently leading by 153 runs. For the West Indies, Kemar Roach and Kyle Mayers scalped 2 wickets each. In fact, it was Roach who scalped the crucial wicket of Thirimanne and provided a vital breakthrough for the West Indian outfit.

Kemar Roach cleans up Lahiru Thirimanne with an absolute ripper

Roach bowled an absolute peach that caught Thirimanne clueless. The right-arm pacer bowled a delivery from around the wicket that came in with the angle to Thirimanne. The left-hander went for the drive, but the ball sneaked in through bat and pad to dislodge the off stump. Roach was ecstatic, and rightly so. Not only had he scalped the wicket of a well-set batsman, but he had also done so with an absolute ripper!

The first Test could see either of the two sides emerging triumphant. While the West Indies would be looking to break the flourishing 66-run unbeaten stand between Dhananjaya De Silva and Pathum Nissanka, Sri Lanka would be looking to continue with their excellent work with the willow. The first session on Day 4 will prove to be pivotal for both sides.

Here’s the video:

Roach chimes in with a beauty!👌🏾 #WIvSL #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/73cXsX4lcu

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) March 23, 2021