A double century by talented West Indies left-hander Amir Jangoo, who hails from legendary Brian Lara’s hometown in Trinidad and Tobago, and a superb 194 by Captain Roston Chase put the West Indies in the driving seat in the first Test against Sri Lanka.
West Indies are in a commanding position with the sixth-wicket pair’s partnership of 401 lifting the home side to a mammoth first innings total of 626 for nine declared on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.
Jangoo and Chase rewrote the record books with their monumental 401-run sixth-wicket stand, now the second-highest partnership for any wicket in West Indies Test history. Only the iconic 446-run second-wicket alliance between Garfield Sobers and Conrad Hunte against Pakistan in Kingston in 1958 stands above it. Their effort also eclipsed the 399-run fourth-wicket stand shared by Sobers and Frank Worrell against England in Bridgetown in 1960.
The partnership also became the highest ever for the sixth wicket in Test cricket, surpassing the previous record of 399 set by England’s Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow against South Africa in Cape Town in the 2016 New Year’s Test. Jangoo reached the milestone with a hooked six before eventually being dismissed.
Drafted into the playing XI only after Shai Hope was ruled out on the opening morning with a strained left shoulder, Jangoo seized his opportunity decisively. The left-hander batted for more than eight hours, facing 373 deliveries and striking 19 fours and three sixes in a career-defining double century.
For Captain Roston Chase, the innings was equally significant. Under increasing scrutiny following a difficult start to his Test captaincy and a prolonged lean spell with the bat, the all-rounder answered his critics with a composed 194. His knock lasted 324 balls and featured 13 boundaries and two sixes before spinner Sonal Dinusha bowled him around his legs, denying him a deserved double century by just six runs.
Despite the West Indies’ dominance, Sri Lanka’s Milan Rathnayake emerged with credit, claiming a hard-earned five-wicket haul. He trapped Kemar Roach lbw to complete his five-for, prompting Chase to declare after a commanding batting display.
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