2nd Test: Nissanka Helps Sri Lanka Reach 250/8 As Rain Ends Day 3 Early

Cricket Image for 2nd Test: Nissanka Helps Sri Lanka Reach 250/8 As Rain Ends Day 3 Early (Image Source: AFP)

Pathum Nissanka kept the West Indies at bay, with Sri Lanka limping to the close at 250 for eight in reply to the home side's first-innings total of 354 on a rain-affected third day of the second and final Test in Antigua on Wednesday.

Bursting with confidence following a debut hundred in the first Test at the same venue just a week earlier, the 22-year-old right-hander defied the Caribbean pacers in compiling an unbeaten 49.

It gave visitors some hope of continuing to whittle away at what is potentially a critical first-innings lead for the West Indies going into day four.

Nissanka's determination for almost three hours, in which he faced 119 deliveries and stroked four boundaries, could yet prove beneficial for Sri Lanka should the other overnight batsman, Lasith Embuldeniya, and last man Vishwa Fernando replicate the resistance shown by the West Indian lower order in their first innings.

Before the showers rolled in though, fast bowler Shannon Gabriel produced the most impressive effort of the day, generating the raw, sustained speed which rattled the Sri Lankans on more than one occasion on their last tour of the region in 2018.

Wicketless and out of sorts in the first Test, Gabriel finally claimed his first wicket of the series in the morning session, firing up disconcerting pace to account for Dinesh Chandimal while Dhananjaya de Silva fell to the occasional off-spin of Jermaine Blackwood.

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