An entertaining first day’s play characterised the contest between two enterprising teams confident of a result in their favour. The runs flowed at more than four an over and thirteen wickets fell on the day. After winning the toss the West Indies A top order batsmen began brightly finding the boundary regularly. The century partnership between Xavier Marshall and Daren Ganga was the centrepiece of the innings and gave it a solid foundation from which to build a large innings total.

While the Sri Lanka A opening bowler Dilhara Fernando toiled without success the left-arm spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon found conditions in his favour removing the dangerous pair of Marshall and Ganga. At Ganga’s departure West Indies A were in command at 3-228.

However, Weerakoon’s economical bowling snared four more wickets as the West Indies A lower order crumbled under the pressure to close-out their innings for 295 runs. Weerakoon finished with the good figures of 62 for 6 off 21.2 overs.

In reply, Sri Lanka A looked to attack at every opportunity but at a cost. Three wickets fell before the day’s play ended with Sri Lanka A in a precarious position at 68 for 3.

Sri Lanka A looked to bat their way out of trouble on the second day but Tino Best and Jermaine Lawson subdued them taking 7 wickets between them. Sri Lanka A could manage only one half-century partnership as they clawed their way to a respectable total of 258 runs.

Still 38 runs in arrears Sri Lanka A needed some divine providence and it came in the form of Gayan Wijekoon who went wicketless in the first innings. The left-arm medium pacer trapped Marshall LBW with his second ball and removed the West Indies A captain Ganga in the fifth over. However, two half-century partnerships on the third day followed thanks to patient batting by Ryan Ramdass who finished with 82 valuable runs. A useful knock of 70 runs by the wicketkeeper Baugh and a quick-fire 29 runs in 22 balls by Lawson helped set Sri Lanka the formidable target of 316 runs to win.

With four sessions to amass the necessary runs for victory time wasn’t the issue for Sri Lanka A. It was a matter of patience and discipline. But sometimes they are not enough when bad luck intervenes as happened when their opener Avishka Gunawardene retired hurt after a blow to his right elbow after scoring 16 of the first twenty runs. Two more wickets fell by the close of play on Day Three with 190 runs still needed to clinch victory.

Gunawardene returned to the fray on the last day after the century partnership between Michael Vandort and his experienced captain Russell Arnold abruptly ended when Runako Morton claimed both wickets in consecutive overs. Gunawardene continued to bat positively while wickets fell at the other end. He made 74 runs in 74 balls but his dismissal sparked a lower order collapse as Sri Lanka A were bundled out for 258 runs, still 58 runs short of their target and 55 overs not used.

After being in a winning position early on the fourth day the manner of the capitulation brought stinging criticism for captain Arnold. Out-of-form Mubarak and Silva didn’t escape the Selectors wrath. They were replaced for the second of the three match series.