Brilliant Lara steals ‘Lucy’ show

CASTRIES: West Indies captain Brian Lara lit up Beausejour Stadium with a brilliant 209 against Sri Lanka as the rain-plagued first cricket Test ended in a predictable draw.

Lara, resuming on 93, stretched his 21st century in 95 Tests into his fifth double as the home team gained a first innings lead of 123. The West Indies, stalled at 272 for four when rain had halted play just after lunch on day three, pushed on to 477 for nine declared. Omari Banks compiled an even, unbeaten half century to boost the home team. Muttiah Muralitharan claimed five for 138 off 50 overs. It was the ace off-spinner’s 38th five-wicket haul in 81 Tests. Sri Lanka openers Sanath Jayasuriya (72) and Marvan Atapattu (50) both struck unbeaten half centuries as Sri Lanka comfortably knocked off the deficit in posting 126 without loss as the match petered to its foregone conclusion.

The 33-year-old Jayasuriya, in his 79th match, became the third Sri Lankan to pass 5,000 Test runs when he reached 62.  Fellow former captains Aravinda de Silva (6,361) and Arjuna Ranatunga (5,105) top the list. But the day belonged to Lara. The champion left-hander, holder of the world record scores in Test and First-Class cricket, cracked 24 boundaries and one huge six off 360 deliveries in just over seven and a half hours. Only Don Bradman of Australia (12), Wally Hammond of England (7), Javed Miandad of Pakistan (6) and Atapattu (5) have made as many scores over 200.  Lara’s duel with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan was the major highlight, and the 31-year-old Sri Lankan had the better of the early exchanges.

Lara was 94 when he was mis-stumped by wicket-keeper Romesh Kaluwitharana as he overbalanced trying to on-drive an off-break. Muralitharan and Kaluwitharana soon teamed up successfully to claim the less-treasured scalp of Marlon Samuels for eight. Samuels was stumped as he dragged his back foot after missing a  sweep. Lara soon cracked his ninth boundary, a cracking back-foot stroke through cover, to pass three figures off 222 balls in 293 minutes. Ridley Jacobs lashed two fours in 13 off 24 balls to add 26 with his skipper before Muralitharan claimed his fourth wicket. The experienced wicket-keeper/batsman was leg before playing across the line of the straighter delivery.  At 305 for six, Sri Lanka sniffed a first innings lead, but Lara stole centre stage after that with Banks in tow.

Lara played Muralitharan with growing certainty as the day progressed and took his toll on the lesser lights in the attack as he dominated a stand of 136 for the seventh wicket. The 34-year-old plundered three fours in 16 runs off one Kaushal Lokuarachchi over of leg-spin as he raced past 150, with fifteen fours off 296 balls in 375 minutes. Later, he added three more boundaries off one over from pacer Prabath Nissanka, and part-time off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera was also taken for two fours in an over. Nissanka eventually gained revenge as Lara under-edged a lazy pull through to Kaluwitharana at 441 for seven.

Banks, who contributed just 26 in the stand with Lara, began to flourish and went on to a maiden half century before the declaration came on the stroke of tea. The 20-year-old, in his third Test, hit five fours and a six off 137 balls in three hours, 20 minutes. He lost Mervyn Dillon (2) to a scooped catch of Lokuarachchi and Corey Collymore (0) to a return catch for Muralitharan’s fifth wicket.  But last man Jerome Taylor (9 not out), just turned 19, helped Banks to his landmark in an unbroken last wicket partnership of 29.  The second and final Test begins in Kingston, Jamaica on Friday.