The Kandy Falcons edged past the powerful Colombo Strikers by 2 wickets in the closely contested eliminator, booking their spot in Qualifier 2 against the Jaffna Kings.
The Colombo Strikers, batting first, set a target of 160 runs for the Kandy team in a struggling innings where they couldn’t gain momentum. Sadeera Samarawickrama anchored the innings, scoring 62 runs off 45 deliveries, helping the Strikers reach a respectable total of 159. Dunith Wellalage joined Samarawickrama to pull Colombo out of trouble with a crucial fifty-run partnership for the 6th wicket.
Mohammed Hasnain was outstanding with the ball for the Falcons, taking 3 crucial wickets. Skipper Wanindu Hasaranga continued his excellent form in this year’s Lanka Premier League, picking up 2 wickets while conceding only 21 runs in his 4 overs.
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In reply, the Kandy Falcons found themselves in trouble at 83 for 6. Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka then combined for a match-winning partnership of 69 runs. Mendis top-scored with 54 off 36 balls, and Shanaka added a quick-fire 39 off 21, putting the Falcons in the driving seat.
The Strikers’ speedsters Matheesha Pathirana and Binura Fernando were outstanding once again, each taking three wickets apiece. Despite their performances, the Kandy Falcons managed to secure the win due to the lack of runs posted by the Colombo batters.
The Kandy Falcons will face the Jaffna Kings on Saturday, July 20th for the Qualifier 2 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
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Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | c & b Wanindu Hasaranga | 30 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 103.45 |
| Muhammad Waseem | c Mohammad Haris b Angelo Mathews | 10 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 111.11 |
| Glenn Phillips | run out (Dinesh Chandimal) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Nipun Dhananjaya | c Ramesh Mendis b Mohammad Hasnain | 14 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 127.27 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c Andre Fletcher b Mohammad Hasnain | 62 | 45 | 7 | 0 | 137.78 |
| Shadab Khan | b Wanindu Hasaranga | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Dunith Wellalage | c Dinesh Chandimal b Dasun Shanaka | 28 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 133.33 |
| Thisara Perera | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Isitha Wijesundara | c Mohammad Haris b Mohammad Hasnain | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Binura Fernando | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 15 (b 2 , lb 3 , nb 0, w 10, pen 0) |
| Total | 159/8 (20 Overs, RR: 7.95) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelo Mathews | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 6.50 | |
| Dasun Shanaka | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 8.25 | |
| Chaturanga de Silva | 4 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 8.00 | |
| Mohammad Hasnain | 3 | 0 | 24 | 3 | 8.00 | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | 4 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 5.25 | |
| Ramesh Mendis | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 10.33 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dinesh Chandimal | c Sadeera Samarawickrama b Binura Fernando | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 150.00 |
| Andre Fletcher | c Shadab Khan b Isitha Wijesundara | 20 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 166.67 |
| Mohammad Haris | c Isitha Wijesundara b Binura Fernando | 10 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 250.00 |
| Kamindu Mendis | b Matheesha Pathirana | 54 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 150.00 |
| Angelo Mathews | c Rahmanullah Gurbaz b Matheesha Pathirana | 10 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | c Muhammad Waseem b Shadab Khan | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Chaturanga de Silva | c Shadab Khan b Matheesha Pathirana | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 112.50 |
| Dasun Shanaka | b Binura Fernando | 39 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 185.71 |
| Ramesh Mendis | not out | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 125.00 |
| Chamath Gomez | not out | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 40.00 |
| Extras | 7 (b 0 , lb 3 , nb 0, w 4, pen 0) |
| Total | 163/8 (18.4 Overs, RR: 8.73) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binura Fernando | 4 | 0 | 35 | 3 | 8.75 | |
| Isitha Wijesundara | 3 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 6.67 | |
| Thisara Perera | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 | |
| Shadab Khan | 4 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 8.25 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 4 | 0 | 38 | 3 | 9.50 | |
| Glenn Phillips | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9.00 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 1.4 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 10.71 | |
