Greaves’ epic 180 frustrates Sri Lanka as final Test drifts toward draw

 Justin Greaves produced one of the most resilient innings of his Test career, batting for more than eight-and-a-half hours to sap the energy from Sri Lanka’s bowling attack and leave the second and final Test seemingly destined for a draw entering Tuesday’s final day at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Greaves’ magnificent 180 from 325 deliveries anchored the West Indies to 499 in 165.5 overs, limiting Sri Lanka’s first-innings advantage to just 50 runs after the visitors had threatened to seize firm control of the contest.

The home side then responded with the ball during the evening session, reducing Sri Lanka to 92-2 at stumps. Although the tourists stretched their overall lead to 142 runs, West Indies’ late breakthroughs kept hopes of avoiding defeat firmly intact.

Hope reaches long-awaited home century

Resuming on a commanding 318-4, the West Indies began the day with Greaves unbeaten on 85 alongside Shai Hope, who was eight runs shy of a century.

Greaves briefly moved ahead of his partner by driving Asitha Fernando elegantly through the covers for four before Hope edged closer to three figures with a boundary off Milan Rathnayake.

Hope then achieved a long-awaited milestone, collecting his first Test century on Caribbean soil, and the fifth of his career, with a single driven through the covers off Rathnayake, lifting the West Indies to 349-4.

A single from the opening delivery of the next over also ensured the hosts avoided the follow-on. Soon afterward, Greaves reached his own landmark, collecting a quick single to mid-on for his third Test century and second at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

With both batters well established, they settled into a steady rhythm, rotating the strike with singles and twos as lunch approached.

Hope falls in unusual fashion

Just minutes before the interval, however, Sri Lanka found an unusual breakthrough.

Attempting to leave a leg-side delivery from left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha, Hope watched the ball glance off wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis’ glove before ricocheting onto the stumps with the batter momentarily outside his crease.

The bizarre dismissal ended an outstanding innings of 112 from 243 balls after more than six hours at the crease and broke a partnership that had carried the West Indies into a commanding position.

Captain Roston Chase joined Greaves as the hosts reached lunch at 406-5.

Greaves carries the lower order

Greaves continued to hold the innings together after the break, adding 52 runs for the sixth wicket with Chase before Sri Lanka’s short-ball tactics finally paid dividends.

Having already absorbed several blows from Fernando, Chase eventually edged another rising delivery behind to the wicketkeeper and departed for 23.

Fernando quickly tightened his grip on the innings by removing Anderson Phillip without scoring, while Rathnayake accounted for Alzarri Joseph for 13, leaving the West Indies wobbling at 465-8.

Undeterred, Greaves extracted valuable contributions from the tail, adding another 34 runs alongside Shamar Joseph and Jayden Seales before becoming the final wicket to fall.

His remarkable stay lasted more than eight-and-a-half hours and featured 14 boundaries and two sixes, providing the backbone of the West Indies’ determined reply.

Fernando finished as Sri Lanka’s standout bowler with figures of 5-130, while Prabath Jayasuriya claimed 3-131.

West Indies strike early before Sri Lanka recover

Needing quick runs to press for victory, Sri Lanka instead stumbled almost immediately in their second innings.

Shamar Joseph trapped Lahiru Udara leg before wicket with only two runs on the scoreboard, handing the West Indies an ideal start.

The pressure intensified when Nishan Fernando could only fend off a sharp short-pitched delivery from Alzarri Joseph, sending the ball to slip where John Campbell completed a superb full-length catch to reduce Sri Lanka to 32-2.

Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis then steadied the innings with an unbroken 62-run partnership, scoring at better than five runs per over to blunt the West Indies attack before the close.

Chandimal finished unbeaten on 40, while Kamindu Mendis will resume on 30 not out as Sri Lanka enters the final day holding a 142-run advantage, though Greaves’ extraordinary display has left the match—and likely the series finale—heading toward a draw.