Electing to bat, the Sri Lankans gathered 243 for seven off their 50 overs and restricted the Academy XI to 128 for nine off their 50 overs.

Muralitharan captured three for five off seven overs with five maidens to stifle the home team's bid.

The Academy XI plunged to 44 for five when three wickets fell without any addition to the score and they were never allowed to recover as wicketkeeper Matthew Sinclair's skimpy contribution of 22 was the team-best.

Pacer Prabath Nissanka removed Kurt Wilkinson (5) at eight for one and after his opening partner Krishna Arjune went for 17, the triple blow decisively swung the game.

Mahela Jayawardene grabbed a low one-handed catch at slip to remove Dwayne Bravo (12) at 44 for three, and Muralitharan struck immediately after with successive balls to get rid of captain Floyd Reifer and Tonito Willett.

Reifer (4) gave a bat/pad catch to Tillekeratne Dilshan and Dilshan was at forward short leg for a similar dismissal of Willett, first ball.

Kerry Jeremy held on at the end with an unbeaten 18 and Narsingh Deonarine (17) was the next highest scorer.

Top-scorer Sinclair chased a wide ball from leg-spinner Upul Chandana and was caught at backward square by Tillekeratne.

Muralitharan got solid support from Nissanka (2-26), while fast bowler Darshana Gamage (1-26), Chandana (1-30) and Kumar Dharmesena, who captured one for five off eight overs, were the other wicket-takers.

Earlier, the Sri Lankans quickly lost Romesh Kaluwitharana at the start - caught at first slip by Reifer off pacer Jerome Taylor for six.

Naveed Nawaz (26) added 61 runs for the second wicket with Atapattu before he lofted pacer Carl Simon to Taylor at mid-wicket.

Kumar Sangakkara (26) and Jayawardene, who hit 35 in a team-best 66-run partnership with Atapattu, both had useful stands with their captain, before being dislodged by all-rounder Bravo.

The 19-year-old seamer had Sangakkara caught by Simon at cover and sent back Jayawardene, caught at long-off by Narsingh Deonarine.

Bennett struck two quick blows when he bowled Atapattu one short of a hundred as the Sri Lanka captain attempted to drive, before dislodging Tillekeratne Dilshan (27) in similar fashion.

Atapattu hit one boundary and faced 189 balls for his 99.

Bravo topped the West Indies bowling with two for 44 off nine overs, while Bennett picked up two for 56 off 10, and Taylor and Simon each claimed one for 39 off 10 overs.

Sri Lanka play West Indies in the first two Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationals this Saturday and Sunday in Barbados.

SRI LANKA innings

M. Atapattu b Bennett 99

R. Kahuwitharana c Reifer b Taylor 6

N. Nawaz c Taylor b Simon 26

K. Sangakkara c Simon b Bravo 21

M. Jayawardene c Deonarine b Bravo 35

T. Dilshan b Bennett 27

K. Dharmasena not out 13

U. Chandana run-out 1

M. Muralitharan not out 2

Extras: (lb-3, w-7, nb-3) 13

Total: (for 7 wickets - 50 overs) 243

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-70, 3-117, 4-183, 5-208, 6-212, 7-228.

Bowling: Jeremy 9-0-48-0 (w-2), Taylor 10-2-39-1 (nb-2, w-1), Bennett 10-2-56-2 (w-2, nb-1), Simon 10-0-39-1, Bravo 9-0-44-2 (w-2), Deonarine 2-0-14-0.

SHELL ACADEMY XI

K. Arjune c Sangakarra b Gamage 17

K. Wilkinson c Jayawardene b Nissanka 5

D. Bravo c Jayawardene b Dharmesena 12

F. Reifer c Tillekeratne b Muralitharan 4

N. Deonarine c Chandana b Muralitharan 17

T. Willett c Tillekeratne b Muralitharan 0

M. Sinclair c Tillekeratne b Chandana 22

C. Simon c wkp. Kaluwitharana b Nissanka 4

J. Bennett run-out 9

K. Jeremy not out 18

J. Taylor not out 7

Extras: (b-1, lb-2, w-9, nb-1) 13

Total: (9 wkts - 50 overs) 128

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-40, 3-44, 4-44, 5-44, 6-77, 7-91, 8-95, 9-111.