West Indies Beat Sri Lanka 1-0 as Second Test Ends in Rain-Hit Draw

West Indies secured their first home Test series victory in four years after the second and final Test against Sri Lanka ended in a rain-affected draw at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Tuesday. The hosts, who had won the opening Test by an innings, claimed the two-match series 1-0 after persistent rain on the final day prevented either side from forcing a result. The series triumph marked another important milestone for a West Indies team seeking greater consistency in the longest format.

Sri Lanka, needing victory to level the series, declared their second innings at 251 for nine shortly after lunch and set West Indies a challenging target of 302 in less than two sessions. However, openers John Campbell and Brandon King frustrated the visitors with an unbeaten 89-run partnership before rain interrupted play. A brief resumption followed later in the afternoon, but further weather disruptions ended any realistic possibility of a result, with West Indies finishing on 109 without loss.

Campbell and King remained unbeaten on 51 each as the match was eventually called off as a draw. The result handed West Indies their first home Test series success since their 2-0 victory over Bangladesh in 2022. It was also their first Test series triumph against Sri Lanka since 2003, when they won a similar two-match home contest 1-0. Captain Roston Chase described the achievement as the greatest of his West Indies career and praised the batting unit for producing significant scores throughout the series.

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Sri Lanka had resumed the final morning on 92 for two with an overall lead of 142 and attempted to score quickly enough to give themselves time to bowl West Indies out. Dinesh Chandimal and Kamindu Mendis led the push, with Mendis scoring 44 before falling to Jayden Seales. Chandimal made 71 from 107 deliveries, including two sixes and four boundaries, before Kavem Hodge took a diving catch at backward point off Alzarri Joseph.

Wickets continued to fall as Sri Lanka took risks in search of quick runs, allowing all six bowlers used by Chase to claim at least one wicket. Joseph returned the best figures with two for 44. Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva admitted that the surface offered little assistance to the bowlers and said his team lacked an X-factor bowler capable of consistently delivering at high pace, adding that taking 20 wickets remained essential to winning Test matches.

West Indies will now turn their attention to a five-match one-day international series against New Zealand before returning to Test cricket for two matches against Pakistan in Trinidad. Sri Lanka, who had not played a Test for a year before the Caribbean tour, will return home to prepare for two Tests against India in Galle and Colombo. The series victory gives West Indies renewed confidence as they look to build a stronger and more competitive Test side.

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