Sri Lanka put the icing on the cake to the 2-match series against the West Indies by a comprehensive 164- run routing making short shrift of Kraigg Brathwaite’s team for 134 runs on the fifth and final day of the second test at the Galle International Stadium today. 

There were two heroes in this champagne rounding off with Dhananjaya de Silva, the 30-year old vice-captain, who it was who put his side on the victory trail from a shaky period on the back of a brilliant unbeaten 155 in winning the Player of the Match award to which his 5 catches sterling performance stuff while all-rounder Ramesh Mendis took the big prize – the Player of the Series award for his 18 wickets and 43 runs with the bat with the 26-year old right arm leg spinner on the magnificence of a 11 for 136 match haul.

The West Indian batsmen floundered against the all-spin attack of Mendis and Lasith Embuldeniya operated by skipper Dimuth Karunaratne with the duo sharing 5 wickets apiece for 66 and 35 respectively.  The only semblance of resistance came from Nkrumah Bonner 44 and Jermaine Blackwood 36 upfront. 

Sri Lanka declared on 345 for 9 after Lasith Embuldeniya fell for 39 while Dhananjaya de Silva carrying his bat in herculean fashion in setting the tempo for the West Indian demolition. That the hosts ultimately turned the Galle turf to be a familiar hunting ground from what had looked a West Indian insulation on day one and two was largely the tremendous 262-ball Dhananjaya de Silva century and a half effort studded with 11 boundaries and 2 sixes in made walking the talk with the bat of what he is capable of.

CHIEF SCORES:

Sri Lanka 204  

And 328/8 O/N, 345/9 decl. (121.4 Overs) RR: 2.83

(Dhananjaya de Silva n.o. 155, Lasith Embuldeniya 39, Veerasammy Perumal 3/106, Roston Chase 2/ 82))

West Indies 253

And 132 (56.1 Overs) RR: 2.35 

(Nkrumah Bonner 44, Jaermaine Blackwood 36, Shai Hope 16, Kemar Roach 13, Lasith Embuldeniya 5/35, Ramesh Mendis 5/66)