Needing 341 runs to win on the fifth day of the first Test at North Sound, Antigua, West Indies batsman Nkrumah Bonner scored his maiden century to earn the hosts a hard fought draw.
He was assisted well by Kyle Mayers who scored 52 runs off 113 balls as the hosts managed to play out the day and go into the second Test level.
Sri Lanka looked to be in a position of dominance a day earlier as Pathum Nissanka scored a century on debut to get the visitors to a strong position on Day 4. They had given West Indies 375 runs to get for victory in the last innings of the match.
But skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and Nkrumah Bonner began on a positive note. The Sri Lanka pacers barely troubled the duo as they powered on. Without taking any risks, the batsmen continued to milk singles and saw off a tricky first hour with a minimum of fuss.
They brought up the half-century stand with ease and looked good to add more runs to the total. However, the breakthrough finally came in the form of Lasith Embuldeniya (2/62), who broke the 60-run stand when he dismissed Brathwaite for 23, ending a 124-ball vigil.
The West Indies captain misjudged the line, stepping out of the crease and exposing his stumps to have them rattled shortly before the lunch break. He was left to applaud Bonner’s half-century from the dressing room.
Soon Mayers joined Bonner and the two played out the second session and had a 105-run partnership for the third wicket and took the match away from Sri Lanka’s reach.
