Rebel League - Arosa Sri Lanka vs West Indies Rebel XI continued...
Arosa Sri Lanka came to the wicket still reeling from Ezra Moseley's onslaught and facing a huge total of 511.
Captain Bandula Warnapura and Bernard Perera opened the innings. Initially the West Indies bowled too short, expecting the Sri Lankans to struggle with the pace and bounce, and the field was set with men square both sides of the wicket as opening bowlers Stephenson and Croft bowled almost nothing in the batsman's half of the pitch.
Despite having never really seen any bowling like this before, Warnapura and Perera were completely untroubled, putting on 30 in the first 8 overs. Captain Lawrence Rowe quickly changed tack, setting a different field and having his bowlers pitch up more and threaten the stumps. Though there seemed to be little swing, the move paid swift dividend with Warnapura picking out Rowe himself off the bowling of Stephenson, to go for 17 off 37 and leave the score on 31 for 1.
Jeryl Woutersz joined Perera, and though the West Indies were bowling much better neither Woutersz nor Perera were troubled as they put on a 50 partnership - the pitch looked very flat and it was hard to see where a wicket might come from.
It was a measure of the West Indies desperation that despite having a 5 man pace attack, part time spinner Richard Austin was brought on, and bowling with Collis King at the other end who was finally finding some reverse swing the scoring rate was slowed significantly although it didn't stop Perera and Woutersz moving the score past 100.
However, with Austin and King providing few scoring opportunities, the pressure told and eventually Woutersz played well inside the line of a ball from Austin as if he was expecting turn that never came and was bowled for 40 off 64 deliveries to leave the score on 107/2.
This brought Flavian Aponso to the crease to join Perera, and he started well with a big six off Austin.
King was really swinging the ball and a late-swinging yorker went through Aponso's defences and clipped the leg stump. Aponso hadn't added to his 6, and the score was now 121/3
Despite losing two partners in quick succession, Perera stayed calm and brought up his 50, off 82 balls, and with the score at 125 for 3 Arosa Sri Lanka were still in a decent position if they could build on this.
Nirmal Hettiaratchi was at the other end, and like the others he was also struggling to get King and Austin away.
As the man in, Perera looked to force the issue but disaster struck as trying to hit King over extra cover he miscued and was caught by Croft running in from long-off. Perera had made a good 57 from 94 balls but it was a bad time and poor way to get out from a man who had looked untroubled thus far.
Arosa Sri Lanka had lost their set batsman and were 134/4 which was a major setback having been 107/1 just a few overs ago.
This left Hettiaratchi and Bandula de Silva looking to rebuild, and with the new ball due in a couple of overs consolidation was key to protect the lower order from that. It was strange therefore to see Hettiaratchi try a big shot to Austin and scoop it up only to mid-on, and the Sri Lankan will have been relieved to see it shelled. It was frustrating for the West Indies who had seen a chance to expose the tail.
The West Indies didn't have to wait long to make amends, however, as in the very next over Hettiaratchi played another irresponsible shot to be caught by Croft off King for 6 off 26. It was a rash shot in the circumstance, but the control King and Austin were exerting played its part. Sri Lanka were 146/5 and in real trouble.
It only got worse in the next over as Austin induced Goonatilleke to edge behind to fellow wicketkeeper David Murray to go for 6 and leave the score 156/6
King was generating extravagant swing but had bowled an 8 over spell and so Rowe had no hesitation in taking the new ball and bringing back Clarke and Croft.
With the new ball swinging straight away and Croft showing good control and restricting the batsmen, and Ranasinghe tried to cut a ball from Croft that was far too straight and played on to be dismissed for an 8-ball duck.
Kaluperuma and De Silva played the new ball well, and it was a blow when Kaluperuma's inside edge off Sylvester Clarke hit his pads and richoceted on to the stumps.
Kaluperuma was dismissed for 7 off 14 balls to leave Arosa Sri Lanka on 174/8.
It was a relief for Sri Lanka to see out the last couple of overs of the day to close the second day on 181/8. The West Indies will be delighted to have forced the collapse from 107/1, and credit goes especially to Collis King who made up for his disappointing showing with the bat to bowl a great spell of 3/27 off 8 overs and along with Austin was key to halting the momentum Perera and Woutersz had built up and to keep the squeeze on each of the new batsmen.
If the first day had been relatively even, there is no question the second day belonged to the West Indies; first the brilliant innings from Moseley lifted them up to a massive total before King and Austin forced a batting collapse. With 3 days to go, Arosa Sri Lanka will do well to avoid anything other than an innings defeat.