Murali spins out Windies for 113

Lunch Sri Lanka 227 and 25 for 0 (Atapattu 15*, Jayasuriya 9*) need 147 more runs to beat West Indies 285 and 113 (Chanderpaul 48*, Muralitharan 6-36)

Muttiah Muralitharan had had a rather quiet game with the ball so far, but he came to the party on the fourth morning at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. He nailed all four wickets today as West Indies, despite some resistance from Shivnarine Chanderpaul, were bowled out for 113, leaving the Sri Lankans with the relatively easy fourth-innings target of 172 on a pitch which is still a good one for batting. In the five overs before lunch, the Sri Lankan openers had already whittled down that target by 25, though Marvan Atapattu was lucky to get away when he gloved one down the leg side off Daren Powell.

In the West Indian first innings, Muralitharan had played the support act to the pace bowlers, feeling his way back into Test cricket after a 11-month absence. This morning, though, he was back near his best, getting fizz and plenty of turn on his offbreaks, and then mixing it up quite superbly with the doosra to return splendid figures of 6 for 36, his 45th five-wicket haul in Tests. Chanderpaul kept him at bay quite competently, but his lack of initiative when batting with the tail meant that he was left high and dry on 48.

Atapattu started proceedings with Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga, but both Chanderpaul and Omari Banks negotiated the pace attack fairly comfortably. With the sun out and conditions not quite as favourable for swing bowling as it was on the third day, Atapattu turned to Muralitharan after seven overs, and he needed just two deliveries to strike, as he drew Banks forward and induced a bat-pad chance which Tillakaratne Dilshan snaffled at short leg (69 for 7). Banks made 7. Muralitharan then made it two in two as Daren Powell popped the next ball straight to silly point.

Chanderpaul had only added two to his overnight 29 at that stage, and with the lead a trifling 127, it wouldn't have been unreasonable to expect him to try and take charge. However, quite inexplicably, Chanderpaul made no effort to up the pace or farm the strike, often taking a single off the first or second ball of the over and exposing Tino Best to a marauding Muralitharan.

Best struggled initially, looking every bit a No. 10 batsman, and was lucky to survive when he charged down the track to Rangana Herath, and the inside edge just missed the leg stump and eluded Kumar Sangakkara, the wicketkeeper. However, he slowly grew in confidence, and even began reading Muralitharan's doosra with confidence, tapping it behind square on the off side for singles. And soon after getting past his previous-highest Test score of 20, Best produced the shot of the day, a sparkling straight-drive off Malinga. It was too good to last, though, and next over, Best charged down the track to Muralitharan, missed, and was easily stumped. The 44-run partnership did frustrate the Sri Lankans, though, and it should earn Best a promotion up the batting order for the next Test.

Murali wrapped up the innings five balls later, leaving Sri Lanka with a target they would back themselves to achieve with a fair degree of comfort.

Omari Banks c Dilshan b Muralitharan 7 (69 for 7)
Lunged forward and popped a bat-pad catch to short leg

Daren Powell c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 0 (69 for 8)
Another bat-pad catch, this time to silly point

Tino Best st Sangakkara b Muralitharan 27 (113 for 9)
Charged down the track, missed, and was comfortably stumped

Jermaine Lawson c sub (Chandana) b Muralitharan 0 (113 all out)
Mistimed a sweep and was caught at short fine leg