Antigua - Day Four: A meaningful victory for a team finding itself
01.07.26, 10:57 Updated 01.07.26, 10:57
Mangesh Kulkarni
Some victories simply end a match; others end a narrative. West Indies' innings-and-217-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test on Sunday was firmly the latter.
It was both comprehensive and historic, and it released the weight of everything that had gone before in this World Test Championship cycle. Seven losses from eight matches, a 3-0 whitewash at the hands of Australia, and back-to-back series defeats in India and New Zealand have suddenly begun to feel like fading memories.
Shortly after lunch on the fourth day, West Indies rolled Sri Lanka for 101 in their second innings to claim their sixth-largest victory in Test history by an innings margin. All of that happened inside four days. The fifth wasn’t needed.
Sri Lanka resumed on 15 for 1, carrying a 303-run deficit and the visible fatigue of a bowling attack that had spent three sessions watching Jangoo and Chase dismantle any sense of optimism. The pitch, now four days old, had livened up overnight, gaining a hint of moisture and a touch more carry. West Indies' fast bowlers sensed it immediately.
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