Sri Lanka bowlers swing back initiative

48.4 overs Sri Lanka 201 (Kaluwitharana 54, Dillon 3-39) v West Indies 91 for 5 in 25 overs

Chaminda Vaas and Prabath Nissanka exploited heavy overcast skies and cut deep inroads into the West Indies top-order with the new ball. Despite being asked to defend a below-par 201 after a stop-start display with the bat, their efforts left Sri Lanka with the upper-hand mid-way through with West Indies on 91 for 5 after 25 overs.

West Indies anticipated the major threat to come from Muttiah Muralitharan, a fact reflected in Brian Lara's surprise decision to drop down the order, but it was Vaas and Nissanka who caused the problems with penetrative opening spells.

Vaas led the way with an immaculate first over, swinging the ball away from the left-handed Chris Gayle, who would not have survived had Mahela Jayawardene clung onto a low chance at first slip. But Sri Lanka did not have to wait long for their first wicket, as Nissanka bowled Wavell Hinds behind his legs for a duck (2 for 1). Hinds could do no wrong against the Australians, scoring two successive match-winning tons, but he paid the penalty here for shuffling too far across his stumps.

Gayle could not capitalise on his first over reprieve as he nicked a carbon-copy outswinger from Vaas in the next over (4 for 2). Ricardo Powell, promoted up the order as Lara relinquished his normal No. 3 spot, started with a firm legside clip but he never settled. Vaas, now swinging the ball sharply back into the right-handers, trapped him leg-before on the back leg with an inswinger which would have knocked back his middle stump (15 for 3).

When Ramnaresh Sarwan crunched a boundary through the offside, Marvan Atapattu moved Kumar Sangakkara into a short square-point position. And next ball, Sarwan blazed a similar square-drive off the middle of his bat, only to see Sangakkara cling onto a fine head-high reaction catch (19 for 4).

A short break for rain provided the West Indies with a chance to regroup, and after the interruption Lara started the repair-work with Marlon Samuels. The pair had to negotiate increasing variations in bounce, but they saw off Nissanka and Vaas and became increasingly confident as the sun started to shine once more. Lara was the more circumspect of the pair, although he did produce the shot of the day: a spanking cover-drive.

Muralitharan was eventually introduced into the attack in the 18th over of the innings to resume a longstanding rivalry with Lara, the man he rates as the best player of spin in the world. But it was Dharshana Gamage, Sri Lanka 's new bald-headed seamer, who broke through. Samuels, on 29, was threatening a destructive innings, but he was caught behind off a thick edge as he tried to force powerfully through the offside (73 for 5).

West Indian hopes were left resting on the shoulders of Lara, West Indies finest batsman and the last recognised specialist, who has laboured hard for his runs. He was unbeaten on 22 from 72 balls, batting with Ridley Jacobs, who was on 11.

Sri Lanka Innings

48.4 overs Sri Lanka 201 (Kaluwitharana 54, Dillon 3-39) v West Indies

West Indies dismissed Sri Lanka for a below-par 201 in 48.4 overs in the first game of a three-match series on a slow Kensington Oval pitch. It was a stop-start innings dominated by Romesh Kaluwitharana at the top of the order, who scored 54 from 75 balls, and later by Kumar Dharmasena, who chipped in with 40 valuable runs in the lower order.

West Indies clasped a clear advantage after Sri Lanka had slipped to 112 for 5 after the loss of Kaluwitharana, but Tillakaratne Dilshan and Dharmasena rescued the innings with a consolidating 59 partnership for the sixth wicket. However, West Indies finished the innings strongly, running through the Sri Lanka tail in the final overs.

Whether the total will be enough to test a West Indies batting line-up brimming with confidence after three straight wins against Australia is unlikely, but Sri Lanka will take confidence from the low-scoring recent history at the venue, and the prospect of assistance for their key matchwinner, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Sri Lanka were forced onto the back foot in first over after a poor decision from Billy Doctrove. Sanath Jayasuriya greeted Doctrove's raised finger with a resigned smile, knowing that Mervyn Dillon's third ball had missed the edge by a fair distance (0 for 1).

But Marvan Atapattu, who had top scored with 99 against a Shell Academy XI in Sri Lanka's only practice match, and Kaluwitharana played positively. They were made to hop around on a pitch offering some early life - especially Kaluwitharana who was hit on the helmet by Corey Collymore and later floored by a blow to his midriff - but also found the boundary as 46 runs were added in 54 balls.

Brian Lara conjured up a breakthrough with a surprise bowling change, calling on Marlon Samuels' offbreaks in the 10th over. A similar move had worked against the Australians, when Samuels had dismissed Adam Gilchrist after opening the bowling in Grenada, and it foxed Atapattu too, who clipped back a simple return catch. He had scored 22 from 36 balls (46 for 2).

Lara kept ringing the changes as he replaced Dillon with Collymore. Were it not for the fumbling hands of Ricardo Powell at second slip, Kumar Sangakkara would have gone third ball. He continued to ride his luck, frequently playing and missing. But he also showed his class, clipping one sweet boundary through the legside and another majestic cover drive. At the other end Kaluwitharana chipped in with some flamboyant strokes.

Sangakkara's luck ran out in the 21st over as David Bernard, the fifth bowler used, claimed his first wicket in one-day cricket. Sangakkara was caught on the point boundary by Ramnaresh Sarwan after a wild swing to one of Bernard's straighter deliveries - he bowled five wides in his first two-over spell (83 for 3).

With Sri Lanka's shaky middle order exposed, Lara swung back onto the offensive. Dillon was hauled back into the attack and afforded two slips. An unconvincing Mahela Jayawardene survived Dillon's burst, but did not out last long, succumbing to the innocuous medium pace of Wavell Hinds as he top-edged a pull (106 for 4).

West Indies stole a clear initiative soon afterwards with the run-out of Kaluwitharana, who reached his 23rd one-day fifty before becoming bogged down after the departure of Sangakkara. Slipping on the turn as he pushed for a second run, Kaluwitharana could not beat Hinds's throw from the boundary despite a desperate dive (112 for 5).

Dharmasena and Dilshan (27) started their repair job slowly, nudging singles and twos. They were fortunate that West Indies' throwing radars were not working properly, the fielders missing the stumps on half a dozen occasions. Gradually they started to tick along more easily and Sri Lanka were set for a competitive total on 171 for 5.

But they lost their way after Vasbert Drakes flattened Dilshan's stumps, as the last five wickets folded for 30 runs, leaving the full house at the Kensington Oval with high hopes of another West Indies victory.