Twitter Reactions: Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and spinners make Sri Lanka's win inevitable

The Caribbean side was 52/6 at stumps on Day 4, needing 296 runs to win the contest.

By Gaurav Tripathi

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3 Min Read

Dimuth Karunaratne
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Dimuth Karunaratne. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP) (Photo by ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Sri Lanka’s win in the ongoing first Test against West Indies is all but sure. The Caribbean side was 52/6 at stumps on Day 4, needing 296 runs to win the contest. With the track at the Galle International Stadium constantly deteriorating with time, the Caribbean team isn’t likely to make these many runs on the final day. However, taking four wickets is well within Sri Lanka’s reach and they would be the happier side at stumps.

As far as the proceedings of Day 4 are concerned, West Indies resumed at their overnight score of 224/9, trailing 162 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 386. The visitors couldn’t add much for the last wicket and got bundled out for 230. This earned Sri Lanka a staggering 156-run lead in the first innings.

Angelo Mathews gets his mojo back

With the time running out in the game, Sri Lanka expectedly were attacking in their approach. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne backed his ton with a brilliant half-century. Contrary to his nature, the southpaw attacked bowlers from the outset and played some delightful shots all over the park. He even looked all set to record his second century of the game. However, off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall dismissed him for 83.

Besides Karunaratne, veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews also came to the party. From Jason Holder to Roston Chase, Mathews spared none and slammed an unbeaten 69 off 84 deliveries. His blitzes meant the home team declared at 191/4 in 40.5 over, setting a target of 348 in front of the visiting team.

While the Sri Lankan batters scored runs for fun, the Caribbean side endured a hard time once again. Spin twins Ramesh Mendis and Lasith Embuldeniya spun their web around as West Indies lost wickets at regular intervals. In fact, besides Nkrumah Bonner, no Windies could reach double figures.

Notably, the visitors were also under the danger of getting bundled out for the lowest Test score. While the unfortunate record is currently with New Zealand (26), West Indies seemed on track to displace the Kiwis when they were reeling at 18/6. However, an unbeaten 34-run stand from Joshua Da Silva and Bonner took West Indies past 50. However, the visitors are still trailing behind and would need a substantial effort to bounce back.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how Twitterverse reacted to the proceedings of Day 4:

 

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West IndiesSri Lanka