By St. Pau’s News Team
June 28 2026 | Local Sports
Kemar Roach reached his 300th Test wicket as West Indies completed a dominant innings and 217-run victory over Sri Lanka, wrapping up a commanding performance driven by their pace attack.
Roach led a relentless bowling effort alongside Jayden Seales, Shamar Joseph, and Alzarri Joseph, as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 101 in their second innings. The result confirmed a one-sided Test in which West Indies controlled all four days.
Roach’s milestone came when he bowled Asitha Fernando with a sharply inswinging delivery that shattered the stumps. He was quickly surrounded by teammates in celebration and later presented with a commemorative shirt marking the achievement.
The veteran seamer became only the fourth West Indies fast bowler to reach 300 Test wickets, joining Courtney Walsh, Curtly Ambrose, and Malcolm Marshall in an elite group. He is also the first since Ambrose to reach the mark.
Throughout the innings, Roach consistently extracted late movement, troubling both edges and pads. Sri Lanka’s batters struggled to adapt to the conditions and the sustained pressure from a disciplined attack.
The visitors, who had already spent more than 160 overs in the field across the first two days, showed little resistance with the bat. Dinesh Chandimal offered the only meaningful resistance with 43 from 60 deliveries, while the rest of the top order collapsed cheaply.
West Indies struck early on day four when Roach removed Nishan Madushka in the opening over. Seales followed immediately by dismissing Kasun Rajitha, while Shamar Joseph tore through the middle order with two quick wickets, including Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.
Alzarri Joseph added further damage by removing Kusal Mendis after beating him with movement in both directions. Sri Lanka were reduced to 81 for six at lunch and were quickly bowled out soon after the interval.
Roach returned to claim two more wickets to reach his milestone before Seales completed the innings, sealing a comprehensive victory.
West Indies’ pace attack rarely bowled a loose delivery and maintained pressure throughout the match. Their superiority with the ball followed a strong batting performance that set up a large first innings lead.
The result highlighted both the depth and aggression of the West Indies fast bowling unit and marked a memorable day for Roach, whose 300th wicket capped a dominant team performance from start to finish.
West Indies will take confidence from the manner of the victory as they continue their Test campaign with their fast bowlers once again proving decisive on a surface that offered assistance throughout. For Sri Lanka, the defeat highlights concerns around top-order vulnerability and the need for greater resistance against high-quality pace in testing overseas conditions.
Overall, it was a comprehensive statement-making victory for the home side in emphatic dominant fashion.