Sri Lanka will resume the penultimate day 5 of the 2nd Test on 328-8 with century maker Dhananjaya de Silva on 153 not out and No. 10 batsman Lasith Embuldeniya on 25.
Sri Lanka started day four three runs behind the West Indies and finished an imposing 279 ahead after a last-gasp stand by de Silva and Embuldeniya.
Their unbeaten 107-run partnership tore the momentum from the West Indies on day four and put back in charge the home side, which leads the two-test series 1-0.
Sri Lanka was 221-8 in its second innings and leading by only 172 when Embuldeniya joined de Silva, who was on 80 and facing a new ball only three overs old.
De Silva reached his eighth test century and at the close was 153 not out from 259 deliveries.
De Silva was also involved in important partnerships of 78 runs for the fourth wicket with Pathum Nissanka, and 51 for the sixth with Ramesh Mendis.
Nissanka’s second half-century of the match ended on the last ball before lunch, lbw for 66 off 154 deliveries.
The West Indies seized the initiative when Dinesh Chandimal was caught and bowled by Chase for 2, Mendis was caught off Kraigg Brathwaite, Suranga Lakmal was trapped for 7, and an injured Angelo Mathews batted at No. 9 and edged to the slips on 1.
Veerasammy Permaul had the best bowling figures of 3-100 off 39 overs, and Chase had 2-82 off 27.
