- Notes they reminded him of yesteryear giants
- Lanka lose by an innings for the first time to WI
Former Sri Lanka opener Sidath Wettimuny doffed his hat off to the West Indian pace quartet of Kemar Roach. Jayden Seales and Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph saying they reminded him of the amazing pace bowling giants of yesteryear produced by the Caribbean nation.
This was after the West Indies inflicted on Sri Lanka its heaviest defeat in Tests against them, winning the first North Sound Test of a two-match Sobers-Tissera Trophy series by an innings and 217-runs with a day to spare, and taking a 1-0 lead on Sunday (28 June).
Wettimuny, who is also the Chair of Cricket Committee of the Transformation Committee at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was of glowing praise to Roston Chase team particularly their pace attack, and was in awe of how they had combined to scalp all 20 wickets in the match.
“They were simply amazing,” the former cricketer told The Daily Morning Sports, in the aftermath of the chastening loss which was also Sri Lanka’s first by an innings to their hosts.
“They reminded me of how the early pace giants like Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding and Andy Roberts bowled. These new bowlers I think were equally good and unfortunately, we did not have an answer to their firepower.”
Wettimuny stated that Dhananjaya de Silva’s team had been outclassed in all facets of the game in the concluded Test, but nonetheless picked out slow left-arm orthodox bowler Sonal Dinusha as one redeeming aspect of an otherwise shambolic performance by the tourists.
The 25-year-old playing in only his second Test claimed figures of 2-234 off 56 overs alongside Milan Rathnayake’s 5-124, as the West Indies shut the visitors out of the contest with a mammoth 626-9 declared on the first innings with Sri Lanka mustering 308 and a wretched 101 in their two turns at the crease.
For the West Indies skipper Roston Chase (194) and recalled Amir Jangoo (233) rewrote the record books with a 401-run sixth-wicket stand – which was not only the home side’s highest for that wicket, while it was also the biggest ever for the same wicket in Tests.
Asked whether the omission of experienced left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in favour of the less- experienced Dinusha had backfired for Sri Lanka, the Transformation Committee official noted that it was difficult to comment on final team selections being far away from the action.
“I don’t think it's proper to comment on team selections from being here,” he said. “But I was impressed with this left-armer (Dinusha) and he sure looks a bright prospect for the future.”
The former opener – himself a past member of SLC caretaker committees emphasised the fact that losing by a big margin is always disappointing, but insisted that it wasn’t beyond the capacity of the Lankans to mount a comeback in the next game.
He however, hoped that the Gary Kirsten-coached team playing only their first red-ball fixture in over a year in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle, would bounce back come the second Test also at the same venue starting on Friday (4).
“I hope they (SL) fight back in the second Test. You know these things happen in this game. And what to do, we struggled to get a foothold in the game after the West Indies piled up 600 plus. I think our batters have to apply themselves for longer periods and let’s see how they go in the next one.”
For the hosts this was their second-largest margin of victory by an innings, surpassed only by the innings and 219-run hiding of Bangladesh at the same venue in 2018.
This was also their first Test victory since a series-levelling triumph over Pakistan in Multan 17 months ago, besides it being their first home win since beating Bangladesh in Kingston, Jamaica in November 2024.
The victory on Sunday was West Indies biggest over the visitors eclipsing their previous best by 226-runs in 2018 under Jason Holder in a three-match series which was drawn 1-1.