Shai Hope, Justin Greaves revive West Indies after Sri Lanka make early inroads on Day 3

West Indies finished Day 3 of the second Test against Sri Lanka in a good position on 318/4, trailing by 231 runs in the first innings. The calm heads of Shai Hope (86*) and Justin Greaves (85*) saved the day for the hosts, rescuing their team from a precarious position of 144/4. Sri Lankan bowlers fought hard throughout the day, but only Asitha Fernando (2/74) and Prabath Jayasuriya (2/77) got wickets against their names.

Earlier, West Indies resumed their first innings on 58/1 with Kavem Hodge (6*) and John Campbell (31*) at the crease. The duo started cautiously before Campbell started dealing in boundaries to bring up his fourth Test half-century. The opener continued to do the bulk of the scoring, while Hodge played second fiddle in the partnership.

He even managed to overturn an lbw decision in his favour after being given out on the field, despite edging the ball. At the other end, Campbell (72) looked in sublime touch and was well on course to complete his century, until Fernando struck again for Sri Lanka on the stroke of lunch, making the West Indies opener pull straight to Dinesh Chandimal at deep mid-wicket.

Jayasuriya strikes in 2nd session

The hosts went into lunch on 132/2 as last game’s double centurion Amir Jangoo joined Kavem Hodge in the middle. The second session brought more success for Sri Lanka with Prabath Jayasuriya getting the big wicket of Jangoo (9) in just the third over after lunch, getting him caught in the slip.

The left-arm spinner further dismissed a well-set Hodge (31), with wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis taking a sharp catch behind the stumps as West Indies lost three wickets in a space of 22 runs to be reduced to 144/4.

With the hosts in desperate need of a partnership, Justin Greaves joined Shai Hope in the middle, and the duo decided to get their eye in to weather the storm. They eventually started playing their shots and got the scoreboard moving, taking West Indies into tea on 219/4, with a steady 75-run stand.

Hope, Greaves continue to frustrate Sri Lanka

In the third session, both batters showed great application at the crease and put away bad deliveries, continuing to whittle away the massive deficit. Hope brought up his seventh half-century in Tests as he took on Isitha Wijesundera.

At the other end, Greaves also completed his second half-century as the duo extended their partnership to over a hundred. Both Greaves and Hope continued to exhibit a perfect blend of caution and aggression, adding crucial runs for their team and eventually took them to stumps without any more casualties.

The duo finished the day in an unbeaten 174-run stand and will look to extend it further on Day 4 to minimise Sri Lanka’s advantage.