Shai Hope, Justin Greaves lead WI fightback on Day 3

Shai Hope and Justin Greaves stonewalled Sri Lanka's hopes and attempts of an early end to West Indies' riposte as the pair took the home side to 318/4 at Stumps on Day 3. The pair added an undefeated stand worth 174 runs for the fifth wicket that allowed West Indies to eat into Sri Lanka's lead, putting West Indies just 31 away from avoiding the follow-on.

Sri Lanka began the day in the hope that their bowlers would come through after the batters' gargantuan efforts took them to 549/9. But on a surface that didn't offer much, that was easier said than done. John Campbell and Kavem Hodge resumed West Indies' innings on 58/1 and took them past the 100-run mark in a fairly comfortable first hour of play. Campbell went past his half-century but was then stopped in his tracks with the Lunch break around the corner. Asitha Fernando had the batter caught at deep mid-wicket off a short ball for a well-made 72.

Sri Lanka appeared to have regrouped well at Lunch as left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya made two quick and key incisions in the second session. He first took out Amir Jangoo, the star of the first Test, with a ball that turned sharply off the rough and took an inside edge to short leg. In the same testing spell, Jayasuriya got one ball to dip and turn, and take a slight outside edge to the keeper off a forward defence from Hodge to send him back for a fighting 31 off 139.

It brought Hope and Greaves together who shut shop and took no real risks is slowly inching West Indies' innings forward. Given West Indies' series lead in the two-match series, it was on Sri Lanka to go hard at them and find ways to gain a big first-innings advantage that they can later turn into a victory. But Hope and Greaves put that thought on hold by batting out the remaining 54 overs in the day.

Both got their fifties, played a few shots as the stand swelled and Sri Lanka's propensity with the ball dimmed and saw the evening out. Hope finished on 86*, Greaves on 85* - a century each on the fourth morning and the extension of the vigil that they began early on Day 3 will put West Indies in a good position to save the game.

Brief Scores: West Indies 318/4 (Shai Hope 86*, Justin Greaves 85*; Prabath Jayasuriya 2-77) trail Sri Lanka 549/9 decl. (Lahiru Udara 188, Sonal Dinusha 92, Kamindu Mendis 84, Kusal Mendis 69) by 231 runs