West Indies secure first Test series victory over Sri Lanka in 23 years

ANTIGUA: West Indies secured their first Test series victory since February 2023 after the second Test against Sri Lanka ended in a high-scoring draw, sealing a 1-0 series triumph at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound on Tuesday.

The result also marked West Indies' first Test series win over Sri Lanka in 23 years, following their emphatic innings victory in the opening match at the same venue.

Having already taken a 1-0 lead, the hosts entered the second Test with a rare opportunity to clinch a series. However, on a batting-friendly surface, the West Indies batters showed little urgency as they focused on preserving their advantage.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, adopted an aggressive approach on the final day in a bid to force a result. Resuming on 92-2 overnight, captain Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha and Milan Rathnayake all played quick-fire knocks to accelerate the scoring.

The visitors' strategy was to build a commanding lead while leaving enough time for their bowlers to attempt a final push for victory. 

West Indies responded with defensive bowling tactics in an effort to slow the scoring, but Sri Lanka added 139 runs in the morning session at an impressive run rate of 5.79 per over.

Although wickets fell as Sri Lanka took risks, the visitors achieved their objective by extending the lead. They reached lunch with a lead of 281 before pushing it beyond 300 after the interval and eventually declared.

Sri Lanka's pace attack extracted occasional uneven bounce, but West Indies openers John Campbell and Brandon King remained largely untroubled. 

Two brief rain interruptions around the tea break halted play temporarily, although neither delay significantly affected the match.

During one of those passages of play, Sri Lanka believed they had dismissed King leg before wicket through Prabath Jayasuriya. The on-field umpire initially raised his finger, but the decision was overturned after King's successful review.

In the final session, both Campbell and King comfortably reached their half-centuries before the captains agreed to shake hands, confirming the draw and West Indies' 1-0 series victory.