Dambulla Aura has bounced back after yesterday’s loss to beat the Colombo Strikers in Match No. 8 of the Lanka Premier League 2023, which took place today (5th August) at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.
After having won the toss, Colombo Strikers Captain Niroshan Dickwella decided to bowl first. The Strikers went unchanged while the Aura made three changes, replacing Pramod Madushan, Hassan Ali and Praveen Jayawickrama for Ravindu Fernando, Shahnawaz Dahani and Binura Fernando.
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Avishka Fernando and Skipper Kusal Mendis walked into the middle as the openers. The duo only managed to add 24 runs for the 1st wicket as Fernando found the fine Leg fielder Dhananjaya Lakshan off Matheesha Pathirana for 12.
Then, Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama joined in the middle and took the game away from the Colombo Strikers with a stunning 120-run alliance for the 2nd wicket off just 64 balls. That partnership set the record for the highest ever 2nd wicket stand in LPL history. Naseem Shah put the end to that partnership by dismissing Mendis.
The Skipper was back in runs to score his 8th LPL fifty with a career-best 87 runs and with a staggering strike rate of 189.13. His knock consisted of 4 fours and 8 massive sixes, and it equaled the highest number of sixes by a batter in an innings in LPL where Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit 8 sixes for Jaffna against Colombo in 2021.
Despite the wicket, Samarawickrama continued to cash in before being dragged onto his stumps off Chamika Karunaratne. He made 59 runs off 35 balls with in 7 fours & 1 six. The Aura lost another 3 wickets at regular intervals, but managed to post a massive 192 runs in their 20 overs.
Naseem Shah bowled more economically on the bowling front for the Strikers, as he claimed 2/21 in his full quota of overs. Matheesha Pathirana also bagged 3 wickets for 31 in his 4 overs. Chamika Karunaratne had a really bad day with ball where his 4-over spell went for 51 despite picking up a wicket.
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Chasing an uphill task of 193, the Colombo Strikers lost Niroshan Dickwella very early as he slog swept to find deep mid-wicket fielder in Samarawickrama off Dhananjaya De Silva for 16. Despite losing their Captain early in a tough chase, Babar Azam made full use of the powerplay with a different batting approach. He, along with Pathum Nissanka finished the first 6 overs, 61/1.
After adding 62 runs for the 2nd wicket, Noor Ahmed provided the massive wicket of Azam, who went along nicely with a 24-ball 41, including 7 boundaries. When asking for an LBW, the Umpire was not convinced, but Dambulla were, and it prompted them to go upstairs where it became three reds on the ball tracker.
Nissanka struggled throughout his innings, before being bowled by Hayden Kerr for 22 off 28 balls. Dhananjaya Lakshan came next, but he too perished after a 15-ball 18. Nuwanindu Fernando tried his best to take his side home, but the asking rate was too much for them. In the end, the Colombo Strikers fell 11 runs short of the target, ending with 182/4 in their 20 overs. Fernando who scored his 3rd LPL fifty, remained unbeaten on 56, facing 39 deliveries. His knock consisted of 4 fours & 4 sixes, while Chamika Karunaratne was not out on 20 off just 7.
On the bowling front, Noor Ahmad was scalped 2/34, while Dhananjaya De Silva and Hayden Kerr shared the other 2 wickets. Dambulla Aura registered their 2nd win as the Skipper Kusal Mendis won the Player of the Match for his brilliant half-century.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avishka Fernando | c Lakshan Sandakan b Matheesha Pathirana | 12 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 66.67 |
| Kusal Mendis | c Babar Azam b Naseem Shah | 87 | 46 | 4 | 8 | 189.13 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | b Chamika Karunaratne | 59 | 35 | 7 | 1 | 168.57 |
| Kusal Janith | b Matheesha Pathirana | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | not out | 15 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 214.29 |
| Alex Ross | b Naseem Shah | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Hayden Kerr | b Matheesha Pathirana | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Hasan Ali | not out | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 300.00 |
| Extras | 7 (b 0 , lb 1 , nb 0, w 6, pen 0) |
| Total | 192/6 (20 Overs, RR: 9.6) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naseem Shah | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5.25 | |
| Chamika Karunaratne | 4 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 13.75 | |
| Mohammad Nawaz | 3 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 12.33 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 4 | 0 | 31 | 3 | 7.75 | |
| Jeffrey Vandersay | 4 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 8.25 | |
| Dhananjaya Lakshan | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14.00 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niroshan Dickwella | c Sadeera Samarawickrama b Dhananjaya de Silva | 16 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 200.00 |
| Babar Azam | lbw b Noor Ahmad | 41 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 170.83 |
| Pathum Nissanka | b Hayden Kerr | 22 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 78.57 |
| Nuwanidu Fernando | not out | 56 | 39 | 4 | 4 | 143.59 |
| Dhananjaya Lakshan | c Hayden Kerr b Noor Ahmad | 18 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 120.00 |
| Chamika Karunaratne | not out | 20 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 285.71 |
| Extras | 9 (b 0 , lb 6 , nb 1, w 2, pen 0) |
| Total | 182/4 (20 Overs, RR: 9.1) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden Kerr | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 6.75 | |
| Dhananjaya de Silva | 3 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 8.33 | |
| Pramod Madushan | 3 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 12.00 | |
| Praveen Jayawickrama | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8.00 | |
| Hasan Ali | 4 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 9.50 | |
| Noor Ahmad | 4 | 0 | 34 | 2 | 8.50 | |
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 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.){kind=link}