Lara delighted a fair-sized crowd of around 4 000 spectators with a wide repertoire of shots in a sparkling 209 which was enriched with 24 fours and a six off 360 balls in seven and a half hours of majestic batting.

Lara and all-rounder Omari Banks, who hit five fours and a six in an even unbeaten maiden Test fifty, featured in a West Indies’ record seventh-wicket stand of 136 runs against Sri Lanka.

This entertaining partnership enabled the regional cricketers to declare at 477 for nine on the stroke of tea, gaining a first innings lead of 123 runs over Sri Lanka, who had made a respectable 354 in their first innings.

Sri Lanka then got useful batting practice in the final session, reaching 126 without loss off 34 overs with the left-handed Sanath Jayasuriya batting fluently for 72 not out, adorned by eight fours off 116 balls and Marvan Atapattu moving to 50 with four boundaries from 91 balls.

But the last day belonged to the 34-year-old Lara, who became the first West Indian to record five Test double centuries, going past Gordon Greenidge’s four and moving level with Sri Lankan Marvan Atapattu.

Only the incomparable Australian Don Bradman (12), Englishman Wally Hammond (7) and Pakistani Javed Miandad (6) have more double hundreds while Lara pushed his Test aggregate to 8 314 runs, just 226 adrift of Sir Vivian Richards’ West Indies record of 8 540.

Lara’s innings also carried his tally of runs against the Sri Lankans in the last four Tests to 897 from seven innings at an average of 128.14, with two doubles and two single centuries.

Robbed of more than a day and a half of cricket because heavy and persistent rain halted play prematurely after lunch on Sunday and left the outfield soggy and unfit for play for the entire day on Monday, it appeared that Lara was in a hurry to make up for lost time when play started promptly, at 9.35 a.m., half an hour early.

Restarting from 93, Lara had added only one run to his score when he was mis-stumped by Romesh Kaulwitharana off the wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

Lara made the Sri Lankans pay dearly for that miss as he went on the rampage, dominating his partnership with the ice-cool Banks, whose contribution was only 26.

By lunch, Lara was just 23 runs away from his second double century against the Sri Lankans in consecutive Tests after his innings of 221 and 130 in the last Test of the 2001 tour.

The West Indies were 384 for six at the interval and 80 of the 112 runs scored off 36.4 overs in the morning session, came off Lara’s bat.

Banks had six to his name off 52 balls in their unbroken 79-run stand at that stage, but he recognised his role was to provide his captain with essential support.

With Banks as his capable ally, Lara reached his 21st Test century in 293 minutes off 222 balls with an exquisite square drive off left-arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas for his ninth four.

He then added six more fours as he raced to 150 in 375 minutes off 296 balls while his last five scoring shots before lunch were all boundaries.

Lara spared none of the Sri Lankan bowlers but he was particularly severe on leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarchchi, who was struck for three fours in one over which cost 16 runs and fast bowler Prabath Nissanka, who was smashed for four fours in the space of two overs.

Nissanka did manage to induce a false shot from Lara when his edge flew between the wicketkeeper and Mahela Jayawardene at first slip.

The post-lunch session saw Banks beginning to blossom as he drove Vaas through mid-off for his first boundary and hit him powerfully for a straight four as the bowler tried in vain to take a low catch.

The tall Banks also drove Nissanka through mid-on for another four but Lara was in no mood to allow his younger partner to take centre stage and moved to 198 by imperiously cutting Vaas through backward point for four. He took a single off the final ball to have strike for the next over.

Sri Lankan captain Hishan Tillekeratne brought in the field to prevent the single but Lara, calmly came down the pitch and lifted the first ball from off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera over mid-on to post his double century in 444 minutes off 353 balls with his 24th four.

Lara’s second century had 15 fours in it, compared to the nine in his first while he needed only a further 131 balls and 160 minutes, compared to the 222 balls and 293 minutes he spent reaching his first hundred.

He celebrated in grand style by again advancing out of his crease and hoisting the next delivery from Samaraweera between the Players Pavilion and the FICS Stand at long on for a huge six.

When he was finally out, flashing at Nissanka and edging a catch to Kaluwitharana, Banks took over the lead role en route to a well-deserved half-century.

Lara’s onslaught had stunned the Sri Lankans as they would have been fancying themselves of quickly wrapping up the West Indian innings, especially after Muralitharan had Marlon Samuels smartly stumped for five and trapped wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs leg-before-wicket for 13.

But Banks joined his skipper at 305 for six and remained at the crease until the declaration came just after he pulled Nissanka for a six over square leg and then gained a single off the next ball to reach his first Test fifty in 210 minutes off 137 balls.

Mervyn Dillon made just two before he scooped a catch to short midwicket off leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarchchi while Corey Collymore presented Muralitharan with a simple return catch for his 38th five-wicket innings haul in 81 Tests, even though he conceded 138 runs in his 50 overs.

SRI LANKA 1st innings 354
West Indies 1st innings (o/n 272-4)

C.Gayle lbw b Muralitharan 27

D.Ganga lbw b Vaas 12

W.Hinds run-out 116

B.Lara c wkp. Kaluwitharan b Nissanka 209

R.Sarwan c Atapattu b Muralitharan 7

M.Samuels stp. Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 5

R.Jacobs lbw b Muralitharan 13

O.Banks not out 50

M.Dillon c Atapattu b Lokuarchchi 2

C.Collymore c & b Muralitharan 0

J.Taylor not out 9

Extras: (b-4, lb-4, w-2, nb-17) 27

Total: (9 wickets declared, 138.3 overs) 477

Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-66, 3-240, 4-262, 5-279, 6-305, 7-441, 8-447, 9-448.

Bowling: Vaas 39-5-116-1 (nb-8), Nissanka 21.3-1-108-1 (nb-4, w-2), Samaraweera 8-0-53-0 (nb-2), Muralitharan 50-11-138-5 (nb-3), Lokuarchchi 20-6-54-1.

SRI LANKA 2nd innings

M.Atapattu not out 50

S.Jayasuriya not out 72

Extras: (b-2, lb-1, nb-1) 4

Total: (without loss, 34 overs) 126