West Indies moved closer to safety on day three as Shai Hope and Justin Greaves produced a composed, unbeaten 174 run partnership for the fifth wicket to frustrate Sri Lanka and steady the home side’s first innings.
Sri Lanka had entered the day with a real chance of tightening their grip on the Test, especially after Prabath Jayasuriya struck twice after lunch. At 141 for 4, West Indies looked vulnerable, but Hope and Greaves changed the direction of the contest with a calm and disciplined response.
By stumps, West Indies were still 231 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first innings total, yet they were only 31 runs short of avoiding the follow on. More importantly, the danger of a collapse had been pushed away by two batters who showed patience, control and excellent judgement.
Hope ended the day unbeaten on 86 from 173 balls, while Greaves was close behind on 85 from 162 deliveries. Their control numbers also told the story of their authority, with Hope at 89 percent and Greaves at 87 percent. Apart from one early run out chance against Greaves, Sri Lanka were given very little to work with.
The pair began cautiously, focusing on singles and smart placement. As their confidence grew, they added more fluent strokes, using the square boundaries and the leg side effectively without taking unnecessary risks. Their partnership also delivered the first wicketless third session of the match.
Earlier, Sri Lanka had shown great patience with the ball. John Campbell and Kavem Hodge resisted for an 89 run stand that lasted 234 deliveries, forcing the visitors to work hard through the morning. The breakthrough came when Campbell pulled Asitha Fernando to deep midwicket shortly before lunch.
Jayasuriya then brought Sri Lanka back into the contest after the interval. Amir Jangoo was caught at short leg after the ball turned sharply from the rough, before Hodge edged behind while defending against another clever delivery from the left arm spinner.
At that moment, Sri Lanka seemed close to opening up the innings. However, Hope found the ideal partner in Greaves, and the two gradually shifted pressure back onto the bowlers.
With West Indies already leading the series 1 to 0, their steady approach made sense. Sri Lanka remained disciplined, but the surface offered only occasional help, leaving them with a difficult task heading into day four.
