WI vs SL: Brathwaite's unbeaten 59, bad weather draw 'controversial' 2nd Test

Brathwaite’s unbeaten 59 with the support from Hope and Holder made sure that the interruption of rain must not allow the visitors to level the series

Kraigg Brathwaite’s patient batting followed by the bad weather and light led the second West Indies vs Sri Lanka Test to end in a draw on the 5th day at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia.

While chasing a target of 295 runs, the hosts were in dilemma whether to play for victory or for a draw. But a few early wickets from Kasun Rajitha made the picture clearer.

After reducing the hosts to 64 for 4 in early afternoon, the Lankans were pushing for a win. However, Brathwaite’s unbeaten 59 with the support from Shai Hope and captain Jason Holder made sure that the interruption of rain along with bad light in the last session must not allow the visitors to level the series.

MATCH DRAWN!

The series now rolls on to Barbados for the first ever Day/Night Test match to be played in the Caribbean.

— CricketWestIndies (@westindies) June 18, 2018

Shai Hope, who had aided Brathwaite, had to depart as a quick delivery from Lahiru Kumara hit his ribs and he had to retire hurt. In his absence, Roston Chase and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich tried to put up a fight but were clearly struggling. They did manage to maintain their partnership for almost 15 overs before falling prey to Lahiru Kumar and Akila Dananjaya respectively.

Hope finally came back and helped Brathwaite to conclude the match with a draw.

Shanon Gabriel bowled a dream spell of 8 for 62 in the second innings which made his match figures look like 13 for 121.he also bagged the man of the match award for his extraordinary feat.

For his match figures of 13-121 Shannon Gabriel is the Man of the Match for the 2nd Test in St. Lucia pic.twitter.com/azh3N7LPvy

— CricketWestIndies (@westindies) June 18, 2018

Since the game has concluded, Sri Lanka skipper Dinsh Chandimal will be facing a hearing with match referee Javagal Srinath after he was levelled with charges for breaching ICC Code of Conduct.

On day 3 of the play, the umpires apparently had a problem with the condition of the ball. Following that, they instructed the ball to be changed before the start of play. This did not go down well with the Sri Lankan cricketers, who refused to take the field.

As Chandimal & Co. remained inside the dressing room well after the scheduled start of play, West Indies were awarded with 5 penalty runs.