Hooper leads the way as West Indies start well in Sri Lanka

An elegant century from captain Carl Hooper gave West Indies a perfect start to their sub-continental campaign, as the tourists took on a youthful Sri Lanka A team at Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo on Saturday.

The tourists were in trouble after the first hour having lost three wickets, despite a whirlwind cameo from Chris Gayle, but Carl Hooper and Brian Lara rescued the innings and the West Indies piled up 334 for seven before the close of play.

In fact, as these gentle limbering up exercises go, this was about as good as it gets, especially when most of the players are still suffering from jet lag. Four out of the top six scored runs and three of those - Gayle, Hooper, Marlon Samuels - looked in prime form.

Brian Lara, the star attraction for the smattering of members who reclined sleepily on the wicker chairs in the pavilion, was out of sorts, but battled hard and still spent two hours in the middle with Hooper as the pair added 129 for the fourth wicket. More importantly, he showed no signs of being hampered by his hamstring.

Hooper was all that one has come to expect him to be. Seemingly laid back throughout, he looked comfortable against the seamers and batted with old-fashioned simplicity against the spin; stepping down the wicket to drive straight down the ground, but also quick to sweep and cut when the opportunity arose.

He scored freely from the moment he came to the crease, chugging along at nearly a run-a-ball. He hit four sixes and seven fours in all in his 117, which came from 135 balls.

Sri Lanka A, captained by Hashan Tillakaratne, who was forced to leave the field late in the day after a blow to the hand, had won the toss in the morning, but after seeing the fresh looking pitch and the broad shouldered West Indian fast bowlers limbering up on the sidelines they understandably decided to bowl first.

The small Saturday crowd were delighted. The West Indies are a rare treat in these parts and people had come to watch Lara and Hooper entertain. The pair were quickly at the wicket too, after a flurry of activity in the first hour.

Opened Daren Ganga lasted just two balls before he edged into the gully, which Gayle reacted to with a ferocious aerial assault in the second over. Poor Dilhara Lokuhettige, the latest fast bowler to join the A squad from the Fast Bowlers Unit, was hooked for six and thrashed for 19 runs in his first over.

West Indies raced to 50 in just 4.5 overs before a double Sri Lankan strike restored some semblance of order. Gayle was bowled by Ravindra Pushpakumara, having made 41 in 21 balls, as he tried another expansive cover drive, and Ramnaresh Sarwan was caught at short leg for seven.

Lara had hit six boundaries, but the edges and bottom of his bat received such a pummeling that he was forced to switch blades. Immediately he edged to second slip.

Samuels came to the wicket and looked entirely at ease, watchfully stroking ten boundaries in his 102-ball 55, before being trapped leg-before wicket to the innocuous looking leg-spin of Upul Chandana.

Hooper was dismissed shortly afterwards, which gave Ridley Jacobs (20) and Neil McGarrell (34*) some useful time in the middle. Jacob's first first-class innings since July ended, however, when he edged to the wicket-keeper moments before bad light stopped play.