
Stumps Sri Lanka 308 and 15 for 1 (Rajitha 4*, Madushka 2*, Seales 1-5) trail West Indies 626 for 9 dec (Jangoo 233, Chase 194, Rathnayaka 5-124) by 303 runs
That Jangoo produced a knock of such astonishing concentration, and expansive range, in just his third Test innings was especially impressive. Until he got out attempting to accelerate about midway through the last session, his innings was largely chanceless. He batted 373 deliveries on his own, and he and Chase batted 100.2 overs, seeing out three complete sessions together. Though they had begun slowly, both batters sped up through the day and were finding boundaries off both the quicks and spinners through the second and third sessions of the day.
Sri Lanka’s attack found the pitch utterly docile for most of day three. They were missing their fastest quick Lahiru Kumara, who went off the field with a hamstring niggle early the previous day. Their quicks were earnest in the first hour, but once Jangoo and Chase saw out the second new ball (the ball was four overs old when day three began) with a period of disciplined batting, Sri Lanka’s quicks lost some venom, and captain Dhananjaya de Silva went increasingly to his spinners – Sonal Dinusha in particular.
Patience had defined Jangoo and Chase’s batting in the first hour. Jangoo, for example, didn’t score off the first 15 deliveries he faced on day three, while Chase was only marginally less defensive. When conditions began to ease after the first hour, however, they began to slip into more fluent modes of operation. In the afternoon session, when the pair really propelled West Indies into the ascendancy, they plundered 136 runs at a rate of more than five an over. Jangoo was especially strong square of the wicket on the offside and down the ground. Chase was excellent through the covers. Jangoo, additionally, would sometimes tonk the spinners over the straight boundary.
Right through the day the pair would notch up milestones – both for themselves, and the partnership. The milestone that drew the most raucous celebration came soon after tea, when Jangoo completed his double with a sweep through square leg, leaping in the air as he took off for the run. Although only hundreds were in attendance, the house was on its feet for him, coach Daren Sammy and the West Indies dressing room giving him an especially warm ovation. Having come into the XI only as a replacement player for the injured Shai Hope, Jangoo has essentially made himself undroppable for the second Test.
After tea the pair took the scoring up even one further gear, Jangoo hitting some memorable sixes over square leg, while Chase continued to drive powerfully. Jangoo was out attempting to repeat a pulled six though the ball was not quite short enough for that shot. The resultant top-edge was gobbled up by the wicketkeeper. Chase was out much later, under-edging Dinusha into his stumps when a sweep went awry. He was six short of what would also have been his first double century.
Rathnayake would take two further wickets before West Indies declared the innings. Nissanka was out caught behind feeling for a Jayden Seales away-swinger first ball of the second over. Nightwatcher Kasun Rajitha could have been out too, had Jangoo at short leg held a sharp, low chance off the bowling of Kemar Roach.








