West Indies reduce Sri Lanka to 84 for three

Kemar Roach and captain Darren Sammy exploited helpful conditions to give West Indies a bright start to the second Test as hosts Sri Lanka reached 84 for three before bad light brought an early end to the opening day at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today.



A damp pitch delayed the start by two hours but the tourists quickly found their groove as two wickets from Roach and one from Sammy helped to reduce Sri Lanka to 34 for three inside the first hour.



However, captain Kumar Sangakkara 25 and Thilan Samaraweera 26 added a 50-run unbroken stand as Sri Lanka staged a minor recovery.



Only eight balls were possible in the final session before play was halted.



Roach finished the first day with two wickets for 24 runs from 10 overs, while Sammy, who shared the new ball, had one for 25 in a marathon spell of 17 overs on the trot.



Tharanga Paranavitana 16, Tilakaratne Dilshan 4 and Mahela Jayawardene 2 were the batsmen dismissed.



Sri Lanka made three changes to their line-up, with Nuwan Kulasekara, Rangana Herath, and Suranga Lakmal replacing Thilan Thushara, Suraj Randiv, and Dammika Prasad.



West Indies have just one adjustment, bringing left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn in to replace Jamaican Andre Russell.



The three-Test series is level 0-0, after the opening match ended in a draw last Friday at the Galle International Stadium.



West Indies are seeking their first ever victory on Sri Lanka soil.