Bonner and Da Silva Unable to Save the Windies from a Humiliating Defeat in Sri Lanka

Both Joshua Da Silva and Nkrumah Bonner scored half-centuries, but their efforts were in vain as the West Indies were defeated by Sri Lanka by 187 runs in the first Test on Wednesday. West Indies resumed the last day at Galle International Stadium on 52 for 6, needing a comeback to save the match. They were thrashed for 160 in their game 2.

Bonner, who started the day on 18, ended undefeated on 68, while wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva transformed his overnight 15 into 54, defying Sri Lanka for the majority of the opening session. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, got the opportunity they urgently needed when Da Silva fell in the fifth over just before lunch and cleaned off the tail after the break.

Lasith Embuldeniya finished with 5 for 46 while Ramesh Mendis finished with 4 for 64 after going unbeaten on the last day. The setback continued the West Indies’ dreadful streak of never winning a Test match on Sri Lankan soil and put them at risk of losing another series in the south Asian country. The devastated West indies Captain, Kraigg Brathwaitte thought that Bonner and Joshua showed a commendable fight, even from [18 for six] the previous evening. He went on to say that it was still admirable for them.

With the odds stacked against West Indies from the onset, Da Silva and Bonner gradually built confidence in the camp by riding their luck to prolong their seventh-wicket stand up to 100 runs. Bonner faced 220 deliveries in just over 4-12 hours and counted 7 fours to score his third Test half-century. He was dropped at ridiculously on 36 off Embuldeniya and then ruled out lbw on 41 to Mendis prior to getting set free by DRS.

Meanwhile, Da Silva, who was nearly run out on 19 by Captain Dimuth Karunaratne’s straight smash from cover and lost at leg slip-on 23 off Mendis, managed to achieve his third 50, a 129-ball game that lasted 2-34 hours and included 5 fours.

West Indies appeared a safe choice to reach lunch without losing a wicket until Embuldeniya attacked in the sixth over of his second spell of the innings, growing in conviction with each drive as the Sri Lankans grew increasingly irritated. From a decent distance, he got one to twist sharply across Da Silva, and the right-hander could only flick to slip, where Dhananjaya pre-portioned the catch.

Bonner, who was on 42 at the time of the break, achieved his 50 in the fourth over after the restart, flicking Embuldeniya to the reverse square boundary as part of a 31-run eighth-wicket collaboration with Rahkeem Cornwall, who made 13.

Cornwall’s dismissal, when he smashed left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and whacked out too long, signaled the end of the West Indies’ struggle, as the last three possessions fell for 11 runs in 51 deliveries.

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