West Indies crush Sri Lanka by an innings in 1st Test

West Indies beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 217 runs in the first Test of the Sri Lanka tour of West Indies 2026, with Amir Jangoo producing a monumental 233 to earn Player of the Match honours. Backed by Roston Chase’s 194 and a relentless fast-bowling effort led by Kemar Roach, West Indies surged into a 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series.

This was Match 8 of 9 on the tour, which has already swung through formats and momentum shifts. Sri Lanka opened the trip by winning the first ODI by 41 runs before one no result and one abandonment in that leg. The T20Is were shared 2-1 by West Indies, who won by seven wickets and then by five wickets around Sri Lanka’s 37-run victory. After a warm-up Test in which the WI Select XI won by 15 runs, the hosts carried that red-ball authority into the main event and now lead the Test series 1-0 with one match still to come on Friday, July 3.

Sri Lanka’s first-innings 308 gave them a platform of sorts, but not nearly a commanding one. Dhananjaya de Silva stood tall with 120, while Dinesh Chandimal made 54 and Sonal Dinusha added 43. West Indies kept chipping away, though, with Justin Greaves returning 3 wickets, while Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph claimed 2 each to stop the visitors from turning a promising position into a truly imposing score.

The match decisively turned when West Indies piled up 626 for 9 declared in 160.5 overs, a mammoth reply built on two towering individual efforts. Jangoo’s 233 was the centrepiece of the innings, and Chase’s 194 ensured Sri Lanka’s bowlers were forced into a draining, largely defensive grind. John Campbell’s 39 was the next-best score among the listed contributors, underlining just how thoroughly the Jangoo-Chase axis dominated the contest.

For Sri Lanka, Milan Rathnayaka fought hard for 5 wickets in the second innings of the match, while Asitha Fernando and Sonal Dinusha took 2 each, but the scale of West Indies’ total left the tourists chasing the surface and the scoreboard. Once the deficit ballooned, the follow-on pressure was immense.

Any hope of resistance in Sri Lanka’s second turn with the bat was quickly smothered. Bowled out for 101 in 31.2 overs, they never came close to making West Indies bat again. Chandimal top-scored with 43, Sonal Dinusha made 12, and Kamindu Mendis contributed 9, but the innings was overwhelmed by disciplined new-ball bowling and sustained pressure.

Roach led the finish with 4 wickets in the third innings of the match, while Jayden Seales took 3 and Shamar Joseph added 2. It was the kind of closing burst that reflected West Indies’ command across all four days of the contest: enough penetration to prevent Sri Lanka from settling, and enough scoreboard pressure to make every mistake costly.

Jangoo’s double-century will dominate the headlines, and rightly so, but this was also a complete team performance. West Indies responded to Sri Lanka’s first-innings hundred with a crushing batting statement of their own, then rammed home the advantage with pace and precision. Winning by an innings and 217 runs in a Test is never merely a victory; it is a statement of control.

Key performers

• Amir Jangoo (West Indies): 233 and Player of the Match
• Roston Chase (West Indies): 194 in the hosts’ 626 for 9 declared
• Dhananjaya de Silva (Sri Lanka): 120 in the first innings
• Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka): 54 in the first innings and 43 in the second
• Milan Rathnayaka (Sri Lanka): 5 wickets in West Indies’ only innings
• Kemar Roach (West Indies): 4 wickets in Sri Lanka’s second innings; also 2 wickets in the first
• Justin Greaves (West Indies): 3 wickets in Sri Lanka’s first innings
• Jayden Seales (West Indies): 3 wickets in Sri Lanka’s second innings

NerdSports Stat: West Indies scored 318 more runs in their only innings than Sri Lanka managed across both of theirs combined, turning a first-innings deficit opportunity into one of the most lopsided wins of the tour.

The final Test now takes on added significance. West Indies have extended the series lead to 1-0, and with one match remaining, Sri Lanka must win on July 3 to square the Test leg. After this emphatic result, the hosts will head into that contest with all the momentum.

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