Sri Lanka ‘A’ walked away with a 1-0 series win over the touring West Indies ‘A’ as the 3rd and final unofficial Test match concluded without a result at Moratuwa on Tuesday.
The 21-year old off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal once again proved his worth as a potential match-winner for Sri Lanka in the future with another mesmerizing spell of bowling on the morning session on day four to scalp his 2nd five-wicket haul for the match and claim his 4th first-class match bag of 10 wickets.
West Indies ‘A’ resumed their 2nd innings on the final day with an overnight score of 183/3. Tharindu Kaushal ranked-in a big turner in 74th over of the innings to trigger a major collapse in the Windies batting as he dismissed the top run-scorer Jonathan Carter for 78 when the score was 217. Left-arm spinner Chathuranga De Silva warmed-up for the upcoming Indian ODI series with a classic spell of bowling to play a pivotal role in the downfall of the Windies innings with 3 quick wickets of Sunil Ambris (3), Andre Fletcher (66) and Carlos Braithwaite (0) within a short span of time.
The spin duo of Kaushal and Chathuranga shared 9 wickets (including all 7 on day 4) as West Indies ‘A’ 2nd innings was restricted to 234 after being 217 for 3 at one stage. The middle and lower order failed miserably at the hands of the Lankan spin duet as Sri Lanka ‘A’ was set a target of 218 runs in around 60 overs.
Sri Lanka ‘A’ started their chase badly as both their openers, Kusal Janith Perera and Upul Tharanga fell cheaply. The chase was anchored by Lahiru Thirimanne as the left-hander stroked a delightful knock of 57 in 133 balls with 5 fours. Dinesh Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella were dismissed for identical scores of 11 while Ashan Priyanjan gained much-needed batting confidence ahead of the tour with the national team to our neighbouring country as he made 36 runs with 6 fours.
The Lankan chase was abruptly halted due to poor light conditions in Moratuwa as the game was suspended around 4pm with the home team needing only 52 more runs to win the game yet had to be settled for a draw.
Sri Lanka ‘A’ won the first match in Hambanthota by 10 wickets while the 2nd game ended in a draw at Matara.
Chief Scores:
West Indies ‘A’ – 282 all out in 74.5 overs: Assad Fudadin 103, Kraigg Braithwaite 75, Tharindu Kaushal 5/125, Nuwan Pradeep 4/40.
Sri Lanka ‘A’ – 248/6 in 72 overs: Upul Tharanga 77, Kusal Janith Perera 38, Dinesh Chandimal 44, Kithruwan Vithanage 25, Chathuranga De Silva 36, Carlos Braithwaite 3/28, Devendra Bishoo 3/102.
West Indies ‘A’ (2nd inn) – 234 all out in 83.2 overs: Assad Fudadin 39, Kraigg Braithwaite 32, Jonathan Carter 78, Andre Fletcher 66, Tharindu Kaushal 5/78, Chathuranga De Silva 4/57.
Sri Lanka ‘A’ (2nd inn) – 166/5 in 44.1 overs: Lahiru Thirimanne 57*, Ashan Priyanjan 36, Kithruwan Vithanage 20*, Devendra Bishoo 2/71, Shannon Gabriel 2/36.
