2nd Test: Jayden Seales lauds Sri Lanka for 'brave' call
What's the story
West Indies pacer Jayden Seales has praised Sri Lanka for their "bold call" to bat first in the second Test of the series. The match is being played in North Sound, and Sri Lanka declared their innings at a massive 549 for nine on the second day. "Firstly, it was a brave decision to bat first seeing how the pitch played last week," Seales said after the day's play.
Praise for opponents
Pitch has become easier to bat on, says Seales
Seales acknowledged Sri Lanka's strong batting performance, saying they "batted well" and deserved credit for their effort. He noted that the pitch had become easier to bat on, despite some lateral movement. "It's more of a new-ball pitch," he explained. "Once the lacquer comes off [the ball] and the hardness of the ball goes out, it's pretty easy to bat whether you're bowling in a good area or not."
Personal achievement
Seales takes 2 wickets in SL's innings
Seales took two wickets in Sri Lanka's innings, with one of them making him the second-fastest West Indies bowler to 100 Test wickets (in terms of balls bowled). He expressed his satisfaction with the achievement, saying it was a bit of hard work and a frustrating period to get there. "But yeah, I was really elated to get that 100th wicket and was just looking to keep doing a job for the team," he said.
Batting highlights
Mendis, Dinusha star for Sri Lanka on 2nd day
On the second day, Kusal Mendis and Sonal Dinusha starred for Sri Lanka with a 143-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Mendis scored 69 while Dinusha fell short of his maiden Test century by eight runs. "Unfortunately, I missed my maiden century, but I'm really proud of myself, contributing 92 runs for the team," Dinusha said after his innings.
Match strategy
More of the same from WI batters, feels Seales
Despite Sri Lanka's strong batting display, West Indies are confident in their batting line-up. They had scored 626 for 9 declared in their only innings of the first Test, which they won by an innings and 217 runs. "Just more of the same from last week," Seales said about the expectation from his team's batters. "We batted well last Test match, albeit from the lower-middle order, so to speak."