Opener Tharanga Paranavitana’s dogged innings helped Sri Lanka hold West Indies to a draw in the first Test despite the batsman missing out on his third Test century on Friday.
Sri Lanka reached tea on the final day on Friday on 241-4 - and a second innings lead of 39 - and rain prevented any play in the final session.
West Indies declared its first innings on 580-9 that included Chris Gayle’s record-breaking knock of 333 and dismissed the hosts for 378, enforcing a follow-on.
After a 102-run opening partnership in Sri Lanka’s follow-on innings, seamer Kemar Roach renewed West Indies’ hopes of victory with two early wickets in the morning session but Paranavitana and Mahela Jayawardene (58) shared 87 runs off 242 balls for the third-wicket to frustrate the visitors.
Resuming the final day at 89-0, Sri Lanka lost Tillakaratne Dilshan, bowled by Roach for 54. Dilshan hit five boundaries for his 16th Test half-century.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy then caught Kumar Sangakkara on four at gully off Roach, who finished with figures of 2-40. With the score on 110-2 and Sri Lanka looking vulnerable Jayawardene joined Paranavitana in the rescue act.
Paranavitana was dismissed in the middle session on 95 off 219 balls, caught by captain Darren Sammy at slip off spinner Shane Shillingford. He hit eight boundaries.
Left-arm spinner Brendan Nash took a return catch to dismiss Jayawardene for his second half-century of the match in a 134-ball innings.
But the wickets came too late for the visitors as rain stopped play minutes before the scheduled tea break and persistent rain forced match referee Alan Hurst to call off the game. Gayle was named man of the match after he became only the fourth Test cricketer to score two triple hundreds, joining Australian Don Bradman, Indian Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara of the West Indies.
