Jaffna Kings beat Kandy Warriors by seven wickets
Jaffna Kings, led by Thisara Perera, produced a superb display to beat Kandy Warriors by seven wickets with eight balls to spare under the D/L method in their rain-hit LPL game played at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium, yesterday.
Kandy Warriors batted first, but they couldn’t continue their innings as the rain obstructed them twice in a row, forcing in a revised target of 95 runs in 10 overs. However, Jaffna Kings reached their target in 8.4 overs with seven wickets in hand to continue their winning form.
Skipper Thisara Perera, who was in good form with back-to-back fifties, once again made an unbeaten 29 in 13 balls, striking four fours and a six; while Shoaib Malik hit 14 runs in 9 balls and paved the way to their win by making a 43-run fourth-wicket unfinished stand. Malik was adjudged the ‘Man of the Match’.
Earlier, Kandy Warriors scored 47 for one wicket in seven overs when the game was halted for 75 minutes and umpires decided to reduce the overs to 16 for both innings, but once again, Kandy’s innings was interrupted by rain, wrapping things up at 94 for 2 in 12.2 overs. Kandy Warriors openers made a good start with Charith Asalanka leading from the front, rotating the strike with Ahamed Shehzad. However, Shehzad was the first to be bowled out by Shoaib Malik in the fifth over. He scored 22 in 19 balls, hitting four boundaries; and Kandy Warriors were 39 for one wicket following the Power Play stage.
Asalanka and Bhanuka added a further 49-run second-wicket stand. Bhanuka, who scored 20 in 16 balls, hitting a four and a six off Wanindu Hasaranga’s over, was finally taken out by Wahab Riaz and Ashen Bandara—the latter taking a superb diving catch to dismiss Bhanuka at mid-wicket.
When the rain halted the Kandy innings after 12.2 overs, Asalanka had hit 44 runs for 34 balls, which included two sixes and two fours, and Tom Moores with an unbeaten six.
Chief scores
Kandy Warriors: 94/2 in 12.2 overs (Charith Asalanka 44*, Ahamed Shehzad 22, Minod Bhanuka 20)
Jaffna Kings: 95/3 in 8.4 overs (Upul Tharanga 13, Avishka Fernando 23, Tom Kholer-Cadmore 12 , Shoaib Malik 14, Thisara Perera 29*)