Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath took six wickets as the West Indies were forced to follow on after being bowled out for 251 on day three of the first Test Friday.
Herath finished with 6 for 68 off 33 overs — his 23rd five-wicket haul in Tests — as the West Indies were all out shortly after the tea break at the Galle International Stadium.
Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews then forced the tourists to bat again and score 233 to avoid an innings defeat in the two-match series.
Resuming in the morning at 66-2, West Indies batsmen fell regularly throughout the day against some tight Sri Lankan bowling, with only Darren Bravo and Jerome Taylor offering significant resistance.
Bravo batted confidently to make the highest score of 50 and was dismissed with a sharp catch by Dinesh Chandimal off Herath just before lunch.
Taylor scored a quickfire 31, including four boundaries and a six, as he enjoyed a 46-run partnership with Kemar Roach. He fell to off spinner Tharindu Kaushal, driving at a flighted delivery that was snapped up by Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews in the slips.
After going in at tea on 241-8, the West Indies only managed to put another 10 runs with the 37-year-old Herath picking up the last two wickets.
Roach (22) was the first to fall after the break, courtesy of a smart stumping by wicketkeeper Kusal Janith Perera off Herath after adding 34 for the ninth wicket with Devendra Bishoo.
In the very next ball Herath knocked over the last man Shannon Gabriel’s stumps for a golden duck. Bishoo was left not out on 23.
Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 484 was thanks mainly to big centuries from Dinesh Chandimal (151) and Dimuth Karunaratne (186).