KINGSTON, Jamaica, 1 July 2003 — Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan made an electrifying 161-run stand to carry West Indies to a series-clinching win against Sri Lanka on the third day of the second and final Test on Sunday.
West Indies reached their second innings target of 212 with the loss of only three wickets in less than 43 overs to win the two-Test series 1-0 after Lara struck an unbeaten 80 and Sarwan made an impressive 82 before being caught by Sanath Jayasuriya. The first Test was drawn after one-and-a-half days’ play was lost to rain in St. Lucia last week. Lara emerged from tea in the mood to wrap things up quickly, scoring boundaries from a leg flick and a towering hook in the first over of the new session. Sarwan then reached his half-century with a powerful sweep to the square leg fence off Muttiah Muralitharan. In the next over Sarwan thumped two fours and a mighty six off the tiring Prabath Nissanka, for whom Saturday’s career-best five for 64 must have seemed a distant memory.
Both batsmen enjoyed themselves coasting toward the target of 212 and engaged in a stylish race to score runs.
Like Sarwan, Lara reached his half-century in style, sending Muralitharan to the fence with a fine cover drive. He then thumped two classically-executed boundaries against Kumar Dharmasena, who compounded his misery by dropping Lara at long leg when the batsman skied his hook attempt. Lara hit a towering six over the midwicket fence to take West Indies within five runs of victory before Sarwan was caught off Vaas with his team needing just one run for victory. It was left to the excellent Lara to wrap up the victory. Earlier, fast bowler Corey Collymore completed figures of seven for 57, the best by a West Indies bowler in Tests for eight years, as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 194 in their second innings. He was named man of the match and the series.
