Sri Lanka Draws first blood

Sri Lanka recorded their first ever test victory in carribean soil by beating the West Indies by 121 runs.Sri Lanka claimed nine West Indies wickets on the final day to seal victory in the first Test at Providence Stadium on Thursday.

Set an unlikely victory target of 437, the Windies were dismissed for 315 in their second innings, Chaminda Vaas finishing with figures of 5-61.

Opener Dwayne Bravo's 83 had given the hosts hope of pulling off a dramatic run chase as they reached lunch on 2-170, but an impressive afternoon session helped the tourists to a 121-run triumph.

Vaas removed Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in quick succession after lunch to put the tourists well on their way to claiming their first Test match win in the West Indies.

Samuels edged Vaas to wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara for 10 and Chanderpaul was bowled off an inside edge for three as the Windies slumped to 4-178.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene paid tribute to the performance of his two senior bowlers, Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who made 72, had earlier allowed the hosts to dream of a shock victory.

Bravo struck 10 fours and a six in his impressive knock before he fell caught and bowled to Muralitharan before lunch.

Sarwan - back in the Windies line-up after a 10-month absence - continued to look in good form as he followed up his first-innings score of 80 with another half-century before he fell LBW, playing back to Thilina Mirando.

Ryan Hinds then edged a Muralitharan delivery to Sangakkara for 10 from the final ball before tea to leave the Windies on 6-229.

The hosts had resumed on 1-96 at the start of the day and lost only one wicket, that of Bravo, in the morning session.

Fellow opener Devon Smith (10) had perished on Wednesday evening when Thilan Thushara took a brilliant catch at long leg off the bowling of Vaas.

The four wickets in the afternoon session though left the Windies hanging on for a draw.

Captain Chris Gayle frustrated the Sri Lankan attack with a stubborn 51 not out, but received little support from his partners at the other end.

Denesh Ramdin edged Mirando to Jayawardene at first slip for one, while Sulieman Benn also went cheaply, LBW, playing forward to Muralitharan for seven.

And it was the veteran Vaas who cleaned up the final two wickets as Gayle threatened to lead the hosts to a hard-fought draw.

First he removed Jerome Taylor, who sent an outside edge to Tillakaratne Dilshan at second slip for 12, and then Daren Powell, brilliantly caught at mid-off by Muralitharan for 14.