Honours even after first day

Jerome Taylor celebrates the wicket of Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene © Getty Images

Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor shared five wickets as a rain-affected first day of the second Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka in Port of Spain ended honours even.

Edwards claimed 3-50 and fellow paceman Taylor 2-63 as the tourists closed on 217 for five.

Edwards was at his economic best in the morning session as he almost single-handedly pegged Sri Lanka back after they had made a strong start, taking the scalps of dangermen Malinda Warnapura and Kumar Sangakkara in successive overs.

The diminutive seamer then removed Michael Vandort after lunch before Taylor claimed Thilan Samaraweera and Mahela Jayawardene, but Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chamara Silva shared an unbeaten stand of 100 to bring Sri Lanka back into the match.

Warnapura - looking for another big score to go with the century he struck in the first Test - and Vandort got Sri Lanka off to a solid start, the former hitting eight fours in his almost run-a-ball 35.

He was dropped on 12 by Dwayne Bravo, but was not afforded another chance after edging an Edwards delivery to Sewnarine Chattergoon at third slip.

And Sangakkara followed him back to the pavilion for 10, two overs later, wicketkeeper
Denesh Ramdin taking the catch after the batsman had nicked another ball from Edwards.

Rain delayed the start of the afternoon session, but Edwards was again first to strike when play did get under way - he had Vandort caught down the leg side by Ramdin for 30.

Taylor came to the party after another rain break, drawing Samaraveera into edging to Chris Gayle at first slip on six before clean-bowling captain Jayawardene past his outside edge for 26.

But as the Windies threatened to take a stranglehold on the game, Dilshan and Silva steadied a rocking Sri Lanka ship.

Dilshan racked up his 12th Test half-century, cracking seven fours in an unbeaten run-a-ball 58, while Silva survived being dropped by Devon Smith to move on to 37 not out when bad light brought a premature end to the day's play.

Sri Lanka lead the series 1-0.