In Galle, the spinners dominated both Test matches between Sri Lanka and the West Indies. They feasted on the dry surface in Galle and grabbed a bunch of wickets in their bag at the end of the two-Test match series. Both the finger spinners and the wrist spinners got some grip and turn from the dry pitches of Galle. The teams didn’t need any help from their pacers as spinners dominated both Tests. Spinners rose to the task, and they took complete responsibility for picking up wickets, which looked pretty simple on the spin-assisting pitches.
Spinners’ domination in Galle
Sri Lankan spinners were the better ones as they helped their team to win both the matches and the Test series. In the first Test, they picked up 19 wickets at an average of 37.89 and a strike rate of 46.37. The Sri Lankan spinners were on top of their game, and they had to beat the West Indies and the rain too. Sri Lankan spinners managed to do that pretty well. They snuffed out West Indies’ batting unit in the fourth innings to win the match. Lakmal, Sri Lanka’s star pacer, wasn’t even used in the fourth innings as the spinners turned the match in their favor.
In the second Test, history was created by Sri Lankan spinners as they took all twenty wickets to win the match. They bowled at an impressive average of 17.85 and a strike rate of 45.45 in the second Test. Sri Lankans, especially Mendis and Embuldeniya, burst through the Windies batting unit and picked up fifers in the first and second innings respectively.
West Indies’ main strength is their pace bowling, and with the likes of Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, and Jason Holder, they would be pretty confident to run through the opposition batting unit. But in reality, it was the young West Indies’ spin attack, that picked up the wickets and gave a tough fight to the Sri Lankan team. The first Test saw them pick up 12 wickets, and in the second Test, 16. They bowled at a pretty decent average of 34.33 and 27.07 in the two Tests, respectively. The West Indies’ spinners tried to match the Sri Lankan spinners, and they did a pretty good job in giving their team a chance in this Test series.
West Indian Spinners
Veerasammy Permaul
Veerasammy Permaul, who was brought in for the second Test match, proved his caliber and performed pretty well in the match. He picked eight wickets in 53 overs at an astonishing average of 17.62 and was the pick of the West Indies spinners.
Roston Chase
Permaul was well supported by the off-spinner, Roston Chase, who may not be the first-choice spinner, but he bowled like one in both the Test matches. He bowled a total of 75.5 overs, which included six maidens. He picked eight wickets at an average of 32.12 in four innings. Chase kept things tight while he bowled, and he was consistent.
Jomel Warrican
The slow left-arm orthodox bowler bowled his heart out in both the Test matches. He bowled a total of 88.3 overs, 16 maidens, and picked up nine wickets. Warrican was the pick of the West Indies spinners. He bowled brilliantly and produced some big wickets, which eventually went in vain as West Indies lost the series.
Sri Lankan Spinners
The Sri Lankan spinners were on a riot as they picked up 39 wickets of the 40 wickets to fall of the West Indian batters. Against the Windies, the Lankan spinners showcased absolute quality, leading their side to series victory.
Praveen Jayawickrama
Jayawickrama, the young left-arm orthodox spinner, proved his ability on the big stage by bowling brilliantly against the Windies. He picked seven wickets at an average of 21.42. Out of 68.5 overs, 19 were maiden overs, which resonated his discipline with the ball in hand. He is a young talent, and after Herath, he might be the next left-arm spinner who can win many matches for Sri Lanka in the future.
Lasith Embuldeniya
Embuldeniya was exceptional in both the Test matches, as he picked up fifers in both the games. Overall, he bowled long spells, a total of 116.1 overs, 42 maidens, and he picked 13 wickets at an average of 18.61 in the series. Embuldeniya was consistent and was the skipper’s go-to bowler to keep things tight, and he also picked important breakthroughs for the team.
Ramesh Mendis
The traditional right-arm off-break bowler was the pick of the bowlers for Sri Lanka. It was his second series, but he showed no signs of inexperience as he bowled with great discipline. He bowled 107.2 overs and picked up 18 wickets out of the possible 40 at an outstanding average of 15.27. Mendis was the prime reason for Sri Lanka’s success in this Test series.