West Indians crumble under Murali magic

GALLE, NOV. 17. Off- spinner Muttiah Muralitharan produced another of his deadly spells to lead Sri Lanka to a 10-wicket defeat over West Indies on the fifth and final day of the first Test today.

The tourists were dismissed shortly before tea for 144 in their second innings, which added to their first innings score of 448 saw them just avoid an innings defeat to the home side, which had made 590 for nine decl.

But Sri Lanka was left requiring just three runs for the win and skipper Sanath Jayasuriya made six, hitting a boundary off Colin Stuart on the fourth ball he faced to clinch the win.

Sri Lanka now leads the three-Test series 1-0, with the second Test starting in Kandy next Wednesday.

Muralitharan followed his figures of six for 125 in the first innings with five for 44 to finish on 11 for 169 - the eighth time in his career he had taken more than ten wickets in a Test match.

Resuming at nine for one, West Indies progressed well enough to reach 70 for one, but thereafter it collapsed - losing nine wickets for 74 runs.

Left-arm spinner Niroshan Bandaratillake gave Sri Lanka the breakthrough in the morning by dismissing opener Darren Ganga for 33, when he swept a ball to square leg.

Bandaratillake followed this success with the wicket of Carl Hooper for six when the West Indies captain holed out to extra- cover.

However it was part time spinner Tilan Samaraweera who went a long way to ensuring the victory, when he grabbed the prize wicket of Brian Lara.

Sanath Jayasuriya brought Samaraweera on for the first time in the 64th over of the day and he obliged his captain by inducing Lara to drive a catch to Muralitharan at midwicket.

Lara, who made 178 in the first innings, was out for 40 and with him went the West Indian hopes of saving the Test.

Muralitharan who began the day by taking the wicket of Ramnaresh Sarwan for 30, then ran through the rest of the batting with the last four wickets tumbling for 13 runs. It was he who began the West Indies collapse in the first innings from 423 for four to 448 all out.

Muralitharan took the man-of-the-match award as Sri Lanka celebrated its fourth successive victory at this venue and its first in four Tests against the West Indies.

- Reuters

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