North Sound (Antigua and Barbuda) (AFP) – Patient centuries by Justin Greaves and Shai Hope ushered the West Indies towards safety on the fourth day of the second and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Monday.
Issued on: 07/07/2026 - 00:06
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Their fifth-wicket stand extended to 242 with Hope eventually dismissed just before lunch for 112 while Greaves carried on deep into the afternoon, being last out for 180 just after tea as the home side reached within 50 runs of the tourists' formidable first innings total of 549 for nine declared.Sri Lanka, demolished by an innings and 217 runs inside four days in the first Test at the same venue, rallied from the loss of two wickets late in the day to close at 92 for two in the second innings, an overall lead of 142 runs.With no option other than to at least attempt at conjuring a match-winning opportunity on the last day to earn a share of the series, it remains to be seen if captain Dhananjaya de Silva will entertain the possibility of a declaration to give his bowlers the chance to pull off an unlikely victory on what remains a very placid surface.Sri Lanka remained heavily reliant on medium-pacer Asitha Fernando and left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya in seeking to earn a substantial first innings lead when Hope and Greaves resumed on the fourth morning with the West Indies at 318 for four.Within sight of individual landmarks, the two right-handers continued from where they left off on the latter half of day three, batting with great care and only venturing into attacking shows whenever the rare loose ball came along.Hope was first to a century, his fifth in Test cricket and third in less than 12 months.Greaves followed a couple overs after, his third three-figure in the traditional format of the game following a maiden hundred against Bangladesh on the same ground in 2024 and a match-saving double-century seven months ago in New Zealand.Freakish dismissalThey appeared almost immovable until the freakish dismissal of Hope.
