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| Sunday, 22 June 2003 |
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Atapattu's 11th Test hundred puts Lanka on top Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from Caribbean ST. LUCIA, Gross Islet, June 21 - Vice captain Marvan Atapattu put Sri Lanka firmly on top at the end of the first day of the first cricket Test match played at the Beausejour Stadium here with a chanceless unbeaten century against the West Indies. Atapattu showing unflagging concentration batted throughout the day for almost six hours to compile an unbeaten 108 which enabled Sri Lanka to end the day at 250 for four wickets after choosing to bat first on a slow pitch. Atapattu has so far faced 242 balls and hit 13 fours in his 11th Test century and his first against the West Indies. His hundred is the first by a Sri Lankan batsmen in the Caribbean. The previous highest score ever made by a Sri Lankan in a Test in the West Indies was 90 by Sanath Jayasuriya at Arnos Vale on the last tour here in 1997. Batting with Atapattu was Tilan Samaraweera on seven. Brian Lara the West Indies captain did not take the second new ball when it became due after 80 overs, but held it back for the second morning when his bowlers will be fresh to make an assault on the Sri Lankan batting. Play ended with rain lopping off nearly three overs from the day. Atapattu was stuck on the nervous 99 for three overs before he finally drove debutant fast bowler Jerome Taylor to the cover boundary to bring up his hundred in style. It took him 348 minutes and he faced 232 balls hitting 12 fours. He had a close call off the next ball when he nearly yorked himself, but collected another boundary in the same over when Taylor strayed down the leg side. Atapattu however did not place his century on top of the pile. He singled out the double hundred against Pakistan as his best. "I found the Pakistan attack on that particular day difficult than today. I didn't get the starts that I normally get and I had to work hard for that double hundred," said Atapattu. He said he would have liked if the ball had come much quicker on to the bat. "But I adapted to the conditions and made the most of it. The West Indies bowled well in patches. They couldn't keep the pressure going for a long time. All I concentrated was to be there and wait till the loose ball came along because it wasn't long before one came," he said. Atapattu said the way the pitch was playing it would get slower and slower and help the spinners which has been Sri Lanka's strength. "We want to bat as long as possible regardless of the total we get," he said. Tillakaratne happy Skipper Hashan Tillakaratne although being disappointingly dismissed for 13 when he played onto Collymore, was happy with the day's outcome. He classed Atapattu's innings as one of the top knocks he had seen from him, but admitted he was disappointed the way Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene got out after making good starts. He assured they would learn from their mistakes and come good in the next innings. Sangakkara scored 56 before falling lbw to part time bowler Chris Gayle and Jayawardene who made 45 chased a wide ball from spinner Banks and gave Lara a catch at slip. Tillakaratne said a total of anything above 350 would be ideal on this wicket which is getting slower. He said that he was not at all surprised by the nature of the pitch prepared for this Test. "We have been here before and pitches are not all that good here. It is up and down stuff. We were expecting a pitch like this," he said. West Indies captain Brian Lara said that he wasn't surprised that Sri Lanka chose to bat first. "But after the first half an hour I realised that it was going to be a hard task to get them out," admitted Lara. "It was a track we would have been happy with six wickets in a day, but we got four. Everyone chipped in and I thought they bowled a good line and length. They tried their best on a pitch that wasn't much of a help," he said. Lara didn't want to be drawn into commenting about the pitch but said they had to make do with the situation and try as best to adapt to it as quickly as possible. Lara praises Atapattu Lara said that Atapattu's innings was a good one and he had mainly set them up for something big. But the West Indies' task was to try and get the rest of the wickets. Sangakkara lost out on a psychological battle with Lara who had a go at him from slip for running continuously on the danger area of the pitch, especially to the left-handers. (West Indies have four left-handers in the top six of their batting order.) Lara's constant banter from slip upset Sangakkara's concentration and he was out leg before wicket without offering a shot to a straight ball from spinner Gayle. No doubt Lara had a few words to say to Sangakkara before he left the field. Sangakkara's dismissal at 56 ended a second wicket partnership of 108 off 199 balls with Atapattu. He batted 146 minutes and faced 101 balls hitting six fours in compiling his 11th Test fifty. The pair had come together when Sri Lanka had lost Sanath Jayasuriya as early as the 11th over of the morning. The left-hander square cut a ball from Corey Collymore straight into Banks in the gully. Jayasuriya made only eight and missed out on a good opportunity to score runs. The wicket was Collymore's first in four years. The only Test he had played for the West Indies before today was against Australia at Antigua in April 1999 when he had figures of one for 109. There was a little bit of aggro on the field against Jayawardene from Dillon after he had appealed for a catch behind the wicket and umpire Bill Bowden standing in his first Test turned it down. Dillon came up to the wicket and uttered a few words to Jayawardene who ignored him. The bowler said a few more words at the end of the over as well. The ball brushed past Jayawardene's sleeve on its way to wicket-keeper Jacobs who had in the previous over from Dillon dropped a legside catch off Jayawardene when he was on four. Windies bowling exposed Jayawardene also lost his wicket through lack of concentration when he was out in the first over after resumption from a short break for rain. He edged a wide ball from Banks to Lara at slip who held a brilliant catch diving to his right. Jayawardene made 45 in 104 minutes facing 101 balls and hitting four fours. With Atapattu he put together a partnership of 68 for the third wicket. With the pitch not offering any kind of assistance the inexperienced West Indies bowling was exposed to the bare. The West Indies only made things difficult for themselves with their poor fielding especially by Dillon who allowed two possible boundaries which he could have easily have stopped. Samaraweera nearly yorked himself at one when he got the inside edge onto his toes off a delivery from Taylor, but survived till the close. Taylor in his first Test went wicketless for 76 runs off 18 overs. Sri Lanka made one change from the team that played New Zealand in the last home Test at Kandy in May. Samaraweera replaced Kumar Dharmasena which meant that Sri Lanka went into the match with two fast bowlers (Vaas and Nissanka) and two spinners (Muralitharan and Lokuarachchi). West Indies made three changes from the team that beat Australia in the final Test at Antigua last month. Left out were batsmen Devon Smith and Shiv Chanderpaul (injured) and fast bowler Vasbert Drakes. Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels and Jerome Taylor replaced them. SRI LANKA - 1ST INNINGS
M. Atapattu not out 108
S. Jayasuriya c Banks b Collymore 8
K. Sangakkara lbw b Gayle 56
M. Jayawardene c Lara b Banks 45
H. Tillakaratne b Collymore 13
T. Samaraweera not out 7
Extras (B-4, LB-1, NB-6, W-2) 13
TOTAL (for four wkts, 87.1 overs) 250
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-19, 2-127, 3-195, 4-228.
BOWLING: Dillon 17-3-36-0, Collymore 15.1-1-41-2,
Taylor 18-1-76-0, Hinds 1-0-1-0,
Banks 25-5-60-1, Gayle 8-0-22-1,
Samuels 3-0-9-0.
UMPIRES: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Billy Bowden (NZL)
TV UMPIRE: Billy Doctrove (WIS)
MATCH-REFEREE: Wasim Raja (PAK).
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