Smith steadies the ship on a rainy day

A day which lasted only 42.3 overs ended with the Windies slowly but steadily taking the upper hand thanks to a few gritty knocks at the top of order.

It was the second day of 2nd Test in the Darren Sammy stadium at Gros Islet. Sri Lanka had no choice but to get some early break throughs but it wasn’t easy. The openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Devon Smith showed pure grit and determination to weather the storm early on in the day.

However, credit should be given to Lahiru Kumara and the debutant Kasun Rajitha. The only special moment of the game took place in the first session where Kasun Rajitha took his maiden Test wicket. The ball was pitched up and it seamed away nicely, catching the edge of Brathwaite’s bat. He thoroughly deserved the wicket for the way he bowled together with Lahiru Kumara.

The 2nd session was a stop-start affair as the showers flew over the grounds disrupting play. It could have easily gone against the Windies but a very mature innings from Devon Smith steadied the ship for the home side. Making a comeback after many years of absence, Smith answered many a question and made an unbeaten half century in testing conditions.

The third and final session was also disrupted by rain but it was a productive one for the visitors as Kumara got the prize wicket of Kieran Powell who was striking the ball well in the middle. However, the Windies would feel confident going into the 3rd day with just a 135 run deficit to overcome. As for Sri Lanka, it will be a matter of building up pressure and taking some quick wickets early on.