GALLE: Veerasammy Permaul starred for the West Indies with a brilliant five-wicket haul as they skittled out Sri Lanka for 204 and ended the day on 69/1 before rain halted play in Galle.

To begin, the West Indies went with spin at both ends, with Jomel Warrican's left-arm orthodox paired with Roston Chase's off-breaks.

Pathum Nissanka and Oshada Fernando carried on where they left off yesterday, with early runs flowing, though their morning plans backfired, with Fernando edging to 'keeper Joshua da Silva for 18.

Angelo Mathews joined Nissanka, but their hopes of forming a solid partnership were dashed after just seven overs, thanks to a double strike from Veerasammy Permaul in his second over. Dhananjaya de Silva was punished for being indecisive, edging to the man with the gloves for only two points after trapping Nissanka in front for 73.

The double-blow posed a threat to Sri Lanka, which was exacerbated when Mathews hobbled off the field after running a single.

Spin continued to tangle Sri Lanka, and debutant Charith Asalanka (10) was also undone by Permaul, whose questions remained unanswered.

Not to be outdone, Warrican responded with two more dismissals, this time of Dinesh Chandimal (2) and Ramesh Mendis (5) in consecutive overs.

Permaul then took the next two wickets of Embuldeniya and Lakmal to complete his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket. It wouldn't be long before West Indies were done, as Mathews (29) was the last man to be dismissed. As Warrican celebrated the scalp, it was spin that did the most damage.

The openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and Jermaine Blackwood, would then bat sensibly in the second session, judging the deliveries on their merits. They also appear to be relatively at ease against the Sri Lankan spinners, which is a significant improvement over their performance in the first match.

Praveen Jayawickrama struck the first blow for the Lankans as Blackwood was approaching his half-century. A delivery pitched on the middle and leg would straighten enough to trap Blackwood, who would then review unsuccessfully, bringing his 44-run innings to an end.

The heavens would then open up in Galle, causing a halt in play with the West Indies' score at 69/1.

Rain would continue to fall for the rest of the day, preventing any further play. The visitors, on the other hand, will be pleased with their performance on the day, which included a brilliant performance in the field followed by a steady outing with the bat, despite trailing the hosts by 135 runs.

Edited - SportsAction / Inputs - Agency