On Tuesday, the West Indies secured a place in their cricketing history books, claiming their first Test series victory against Sri Lanka in over two decades after a predictable tame draw closed out the second Test at Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The 1-0 series triumph marks the Caribbean side’s first win over Sri Lanka in a Test series since 2003, following their dominant innings-and-217-run victory in the opening match of the tour.
Chasing an unlikely win that would have levelled the series, Sri Lanka came out of the gates batting aggressively on the final day of play. Resuming their second innings at 92 for two with an overall lead of just 142 runs, the visitors faced an uphill battle from the first ball. Overnight batters Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis pushed the score along by 26 additional runs in six overs before West Indies pace bowler Jayden Seales broke the partnership, with Anderson Phillip pulling off a juggling catch at mid-off to dismiss Mendis for 44.
Chandimal continued to lead the charge for quick runs, notching his 37th Test half-century along the way. However, his innings came to an end on 71 from 107 balls, courtesy of a spectacular diving catch by Kavem Hodge at backward point off Alzarri Joseph’s bowling, leaving Sri Lanka 156 for four. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva added a rapid 34 runs off as many balls before he was caught at long off attempting to clear the boundary off offspinner Roston Chase. Nine runs later, paceman Anderson Phillip claimed another wicket, Kusal Mendis caught at gully, pushing the visitors to 197 for six.
Sonal Dinusha compiled a brisk 28 off 26 balls before being run out, and Hodge followed up with the wicket of Isitha Wijesundara for 10, leaving Sri Lanka reeling at 227 for eight as the lunch break approached. In a surprising tactical move, the visitors chose not to declare their innings at lunch, when they stood at 231 for eight for an overall lead of 281 runs. Instead, they batted on to extend their lead to 301 runs, eating up valuable overs in the process before finally declaring shortly after lunch at 251 for nine.
That set the West Indies a nominal target of 302 runs from 60 overs to win, but the home side had no incentive to chase the victory: a draw would be enough to lock in their historic series win. Openers John Campbell and Brandon King showed no interest in pursuing the challenging target, instead prioritising solid defence to avoid losing wickets. The pair carried the West Indies to 65 without loss by the tea break, effectively confirming the match would end in a draw.
A brief rain shower after tea further delayed play, wiping an hour off the scheduled playing time, and when play resumed at 4:30 p.m., the outcome was already certain. Once both Campbell and King reached unbeaten half-centuries, the two captains agreed to call the game off, with the West Indies closing on 109 for no loss. Following the match, all-rounder Justin Greaves was named both Player-of-the-Match and Player-of-the-Series for his consistent performances across the two Tests.
