📊 CHIEF SCORES
🏏 West Indies 1st Innings – 626/9d
Amir Jangoo 233
Roston Chase 194
Alzarri Joseph 21
Shamar Joseph 17*
Milan Rathnayake 5/124 (SL best)
🏏 Sri Lanka 1st Innings – 308
Dhananjaya de Silva 120
Dinesh Chandimal 54
Sonal Dinusha 43
Milan Rathnayake 27
🏏 Sri Lanka 2nd Innings – 101 all out
Dinesh Chandimal 43
Lahiru Kumara 9
Sonal Dinusha 12*
🔥 Kemar Roach 4/51
🔥 Jayden Seales 3/14
🔥 Shamar Joseph 2 wickets
🏆 Result: West Indies win by an innings and 217 runs
West Indies produced a commanding, all-round performance to crush Sri Lanka by an innings and 217 runs in the opening Test at North Sound, sealing a victory that underlined the gulf between the two sides over four days of relentless cricket.
It was a match defined by West Indies’ batting dominance and their ruthless bowling attack, with Sri Lanka left chasing shadows from the moment the hosts declared their first innings.
Batting first after winning the toss, West Indies piled up a colossal 626/9 declared in 160.5 overs, built on two monumental innings that broke Sri Lanka’s spirit. Amir Jangoo was the cornerstone of the innings, crafting a majestic 233, full of patience, control and clean strokeplay. At the other end, Roston Chase played the perfect foil, compiling a superb 194 in a marathon effort that drained Sri Lanka’s attack of both energy and belief.
Despite moments of resistance, Sri Lanka’s bowlers struggled for penetration. Milan Rathnayake was the standout performer with a hard-earned five-wicket haul, while Asitha Fernando chipped in with two wickets, but the overall effort lacked consistency against the West Indian onslaught.
Sri Lanka’s first innings offered brief resistance but ultimately fell short of matching the hosts’ intensity. Dhananjaya de Silva led from the front with a captain’s knock of 120, holding the innings together amid regular setbacks. Dinesh Chandimal contributed a fluent 54, while Sonal Dinusha added a gritty 43. However, the lack of meaningful partnerships meant Sri Lanka were bowled out for 308, conceding a massive 318-run deficit.
From there, West Indies tightened their grip further. Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales exploited the conditions with precision and pace, exposing Sri Lanka’s fragile batting line-up.
The second innings quickly unravelled. Early wickets set the tone as Pathum Nissanka, Nishan Madushka and Kasun Rajitha fell cheaply, leaving Sri Lanka under immediate pressure. Chandimal fought briefly with a composed 43, but there was little resistance around him. The middle and lower order collapsed under sustained pressure, with Roach finishing with four wickets and Seales claiming three as Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 101 in 31.2 overs.
The final passage of play was one-way traffic, with West Indies relentless in their execution. Every scoring opportunity was choked, every mistake punished, as Sri Lanka’s innings ended with a whimper rather than a fight.
The result was inevitable long before the final wicket fell: West Indies sealing victory by an innings and 217 runs, a statement win that will boost their confidence in the World Test Championship cycle.
For Sri Lanka, it is a harsh lesson in discipline, consistency and resilience at the highest level. For West Indies, it was a near-perfect Test match — powered by two massive centuries, a five-wicket haul, and a fast-bowling unit that never allowed the opposition to settle.
