Team Grey won the curtain-raiser of the Dialog-SLC Invitational T20 League 2021 against Team Green in a nail-biting encounter.
Team Grey’s opener, Kamil Mishara, creamed a just-short of a length ball from speedster Lahiru Kumara through covers with impeccable timing to push start the exciting Dialog-SLC Invitational T20 League 2021.
Kumara came back hard as he rubbed the outside edge of Kamil Mishara with a fierce delivery that grew on Mishara, sending back into the hit with just that boundary.
That was followed by a couple of loose shots from Nuwanindu Fernando and Minod Bhanuka which put the Grey team in trouble at 3 for 31 at the end of the powerplay.
Skipper Shanaka and Milinda Siriwardena tried to defuse the crisis for Team Grey but Siriwardena had to walk back with just 12 runs after being castled off the first ball of Lakshan Sandakan.
The Greens were well on top of the game until the first 10 overs of the match. From there skipper Dasun Shanaka took control. The right-handed hard-hitter struck 5 handsome sixers and 7 fours in his magnificent knock of 84 runs which put his team in a winning position.
Change of teams for Kamil, Himasha & Prabath in SLC T20 League.
After Shanaka the 23 runs that came off Chathuranga de Silva’s bat was the highest. It shows the value of Shanaka’s knock.
The Grey team ended with 167 runs for the loss of 7 wickets at the end of 20 overs.
The chase was soon spiced up by the young right-arm offie, Ashain Daniel, who picked up 2 wickets in the second over of the innings. Greens were soon down for 2 for 5 at the end of the second over.
A stable partnership of 105 runs for the 3rd wicket between Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka put the Green team back on track. Mendis scored a valuable 74 runs with some spectacular strokes all around the park. Nissanka made a stylish 45 runs.
When things looked to be going in Team Green’s way, Team Grey found a hero in the leg-spinner, Pulina Tharanga who managed to get rid of the 3 dangerous batsmen in the chase. Pathum Nissanka tried to beat the fielder at long-off but ended up skying it straight into his palms. Ashan Priyanjan and Kamindu Mendis were both undone in the 17th over which proved to be a crucial point in the game.
The 16th over from Dasun Shanaka went for 19 runs and Greens looked to be in control. But Tharanga made sure the Greys were safe by picking up those two wickets.
Ishan Jayaratne of Team Green staged a rather exciting knock at the latter end but couldn’t take his team over the line.
The last over required 17 runs and Nuwan Pradeep was given the ball. Jayaratne scooped the first ball of the over for a six and instilled hope into the Grey camp. But, Nuwan Pradeep came back well enough to sneak away a 1-run win for team Grey.
