Another batting flop

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CMC):

Newly appointed vice-captain, Brendan Nash, stroked a confident half-century, but West Indies suffered an all-too-familiar batting collapse on the opening day of their three-day tour match against Sri Lanka Cricket President's XI yesterday.

Cruising at 110 for three at one stage, West Indies lost their last seven wickets for 66 runs on a two-paced strip at the Sinhalese Sports Club to tumble to 176 all out.

Left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara (3-37) and leg-spinner Malinga Bandara (3-39) led the attack with three-wickets apiece, while spinner Ajantha Mendis (2-28) and left-armer Thilan Thushara (2-28) picked up two wickets each.

At the close, however, the Windies seam attack had struck a couple of incisive blows to reduce the hosts to 56 for three.

The left-handed Nash stroked an attacking 62 after West Indies won the toss and opted to bat and lost quick wickets to be 29 for three inside the first hour.

Welegedara claimed openers Adrian Barath (21) and Chris Gayle (5) before Thushara bowled Darren Bravo for one.

Steering Windies out of trouble

Nash then repaired the innings in tandem with veteran left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul, adding a crucial 81 for the fourth wicket to steer the Windies out of trouble.

The 32-year-old Australia-born Jamaican batsman stroked seven fours off 107 balls in nearly 2-1/2 hours at the crease, while Chanderpaul gathered 33 in typically obdurate fashion, hitting two fours in an innings spanning 83 balls and 119 minutes.

Chanderpaul's edge behind off Thusara brought his downfall and when Nash was out in similar fashion driving at Bandara, Windies slumped to 134 for five.

Without a run added, Dwayne Bravo was lbw to Welegedara for five, six balls later, and Darren Sammy perished for five to leave the score at 143 for seven.

A small revival came through uncapped all-rounder Andre Russell and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, who put on a lively 31 off 33 balls for the eighth wicket.

While Russell banged four fours in a run-a-ball 20, Baugh finished on 16 not out with three fours off 31 balls.

The 22-year-old Russell was then trapped lbw by Mendis, effectively ending the innings as the last three wickets fell for a mere two runs.

Fast bowler Nelon Pascal struck in the second over of the innings, sending back Dimuth Karunaratne lbw for 11 with the score on 12 before new ball partner Kemar Roach prised out the other opener Tharanga Paranavitana (1) in the next over.

Lahiru Thirimanne stroked a delightful 30 with six fours before falling to a catch at the wicket off Sammy's medium pace in the day's final over.

WEST INDIES 1st Innings

C. Gayle c Fernando b Welegedara 5A. Barath c wkp Jayawardene b Welegedara 21DM Bravo b Thushara 1S. Chanderpaul c wkp Jayawardene b Thushara 33B. Nash c wkp Jayawardene b Bandara 62D.J. Bravo lbw b Welegedara 5+C. Baugh not out 16D. Sammy c Karunaratne b Bandara 5A. Russell lbw b Mendis 20S. Shillingford c Thushara b Bandara 0K. Roach b Mendis 1Extras (lb2, w3, nb2) 7TOTAL: (all out, 55.3 overs) 176

Did not bat: N Pascal.

Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Gayle), 2-23 (DM Bravo), 3-29 (Barath), 4-110 (Chanderpaul), 5-134 (Nash), 6-134 (DJ Bravo), 7-143 (Sammy), 8-174 (Russell), 9-175 (Shillingford), 10-176 (Roach)

Bowling: Welegedara 13-3-37-3 Thushara 11-1-38-2, Fernando 9-0-32-0, Mendis 13.3-3-28-2, Bandara 9-2-39-3.

SRI LANKA CRICKET PRESIDENT'S XI 1st Innings

T. Paranavitana c DJ Bravo b Roach 1D. Karunaratne lbw b Pascal 11L. Thirimanne c wkp Baugh b Sammy 30K. Silva not out 13T. Kandamby not out 0Extras (nb 4) 4TOTAL: (3 wkts, 13 overs) 59

To bat: +P. Jayawardene, M. Bandara, A. Mendis, C. Welegedara, T. Thushara, N. Fernando, A. Priyanjan.

Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Karunaratne), 2-13 (Paranavitana), 3-59 (Thirimanne).

Bowling: Roach 6-0-33-1, Pascal 4-0-20-1, Russell 2-0-6-0, Sammy 1-1-0-1.

Position: President's XI trail by 117 runs.

Toss: West Indies.

Umpires: R. Kottahachchi, P. Rambukwella.

NB: 12 players per side (11 batting, fielding)