The China Mail - Greaves and Hope centuries usher West Indies towards safety

Their fifth-wicket stand extended to 242 with Hope eventually dismissed just before lunch for 112 while Greaves carried on deep into the afternoon, being last out for 180 just after tea as the home side reached within 50 runs of the tourists' formidable first innings total of 549 for nine declared.

Sri Lanka, demolished by an innings and 217 runs inside four days in the first Test at the same venue, rallied from the loss of two wickets late in the day to close at 92 for two in the second innings, an overall lead of 142 runs.

With no option other than to at least attempt at conjuring a match-winning opportunity on the last day to earn a share of the series, it remains to be seen if captain Dhananjaya de Silva will entertain the possibility of a declaration to give his bowlers the chance to pull off an unlikely victory on what remains a very placid surface.

Sri Lanka remained heavily reliant on medium-pacer Asitha Fernando and left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in seeking to earn a substantial first innings lead when Hope and Greaves resumed on the fourth morning with the West Indies at 318 for four.

Within sight of individual landmarks, the two right-handers continued from where they left off on the latter half of day three, batting with great care and only venturing into attacking shows whenever the rare loose ball came along.

Hope was first to a century, his fifth in Test cricket and third in less than 12 months.

Greaves followed a couple overs after, his third three-figure in the traditional format of the game following a maiden hundred against Bangladesh on the same ground in 2024 and a match-saving double-century seven months ago in New Zealand.

- Freakish dismissal -

They appeared almost immovable until the freakish dismissal of Hope.

Attempting to pad away a delivery from spinner Sonal Dinusha, he lost his balance and the ball came off wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis' pads onto the stumps with the batsman just out of his ground and given out stumped for an innings that spanned just over six hours in which he faced 243 balls, stroking ten fours.

Sri Lanka opted for short-pitched tactics with their seamers through most of the afternoon session, much to discomfort of West Indies captain Roston Chase, who took so many painful blows on the fingers that he was unable to take the field at the end of the day.

Fernando earned deserved reward for his persistent hostility and intelligence, adding the wickets of Chase, Anderson Phillip and Alzarri Joseph to finish with figures of five for 130 from 40 overs.

"Asitha did a really (great) job today," said Jayasuriya in assessing Fernando's effort.

"Over the past two years he's really been doing an excellent job for our Test team."

That effort is often in conditions similar to these in Antigua.

"Most Asian conditions are not easy to get wickets for fast bowlers," Jayasuriya noted. "He really puts in the effort. He is amazing."

Greaves emerged from his shell as the wickets fell around him, hooking consecutive sixes before eventually falling to Jayasuriya, the left-arm spinner's numbers –- three for 131 off 55.5 overs -– reflecting his heavy workload.

Greaves left to the acclaim of the few fans present for an innings which occupied eight-and-a-half hours in which he faced 325 balls, striking 14 fours to add to those two sixes.

West Indies spirits were high at the start of Sri Lanka's second innings with Joseph, Shamar and Alzarri, combining to remove openers Nishan Madushka and first innings century-maker Lahiru Udara cheaply.

However Dinesh Chandimal (40 not out) and Kamindu Mendis (30 not out) negotiated the remaining time, not without the odd alarm, to leave their captain with the overnight task of assessing if it was worth the risk to throw down the gauntlet to his opposite number, Chase, on the final day.

G.Tsang--ThChM