Kusal Perera led the Dambulla Sixers to their first victory in the 2024 Lanka Premier League, beating the Colombo Strikers by 8 wickets.
On a day when all the decisions favoured them, Dambulla Sixers skipper Mohammed Nabi chose to field first, despite their previous loss to Jaffna Kings after bowling first. Colombo Strikers, coming off a thrilling win against the experienced Kandy Falcons, were the favourites going into this game, especially with the Sixers yet to win in this edition of the Lanka Premier League.
>> Nissanka and the bowlers combine to put the Kings at the top of the table
As in their previous game against the Falcons, the Strikers’ openers got off to a flyer, putting on a partnership of 73 runs in 8.3 overs. Both Gurbaz and Angelo Perera lost their wickets after scoring 36 and 41 respectively. Coming in at number three, Glenn Phillips continued his form from the previous game, scoring 51 off 36 balls, including three sixes and a boundary. Adding the finishing touch to the innings, Chamika Karunaratne hammered an unbeaten 27 off twelve balls with two fours and two sixes, taking the Strikers’ score past 180.
Mohammed Nabi leading from the front picked up two wickets with conceding just 20 runs. Also, Nuwan Pradeep got into the party by grabbing two wickets in his spell of bowling.
>> Udana, Seifert star as Marvels thump Falcons
Stars for the day Kusal Perera and Reeza Hendriks were in fifth gear from the word go, the pair put on a partnership worth 154 for the first wicket. Both the aggressive batters from different parts of the world were on the same page regarding what to do with their bat, the pair scored twelve fours and nine sixes combined. Perera cruised his way to a superb 80, while Hendricks’ composed yet powerful innings saw him contribute 54 runs.
With more work to be done following the dismissals of both openers, Kiwi Mark Chapman added the finishing touches by smashing 3 sixes and scoring 23 off 10 balls, securing the Sixers’ first victory of the season.
Result
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | c Nuwanidu Fernando b Dushan Hemantha | 36 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 128.57 |
| Angelo Perera | run out () | 41 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 151.85 |
| Glenn Phillips | c Dushan Hemantha b Nuwan Pradeep | 52 | 36 | 1 | 3 | 144.44 |
| Sadeera Samarawickrama | c Nuwan Pradeep b Mohammad Nabi | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Shadab Khan | c Lahiru Udara b Mohammad Nabi | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Thisara Perera | c Mohammad Nabi b | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Chamika Karunaratne | not out | 27 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 225.00 |
| Dunith Wellalage | not out | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | 14 (b 1 , lb 2 , nb 1, w 10, pen 0) |
| Total | 185/6 (20 Overs, RR: 9.25) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dilshan Madushanka | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 9.00 | |
| Nuwan Pradeep | 4 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 10.25 | |
| Mustafizur Rahman | 4 | 0 | 53 | 0 | 13.25 | |
| Dushan Hemantha | 3 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 7.33 | |
| Mohammad Nabi | 4 | 0 | 20 | 2 | 5.00 | |
| Chamindu Wickramasinghe | 2 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9.50 | |
| Batsmen | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reeza Hendricks | c Dunith Wellalage b Taskin Ahmed | 54 | 39 | 4 | 3 | 138.46 |
| Kusal Perera | c Angelo Perera b Taskin Ahmed | 80 | 50 | 8 | 4 | 160.00 |
| Lahiru Udara | not out | 11 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 137.50 |
| Mark Chapman | not out | 23 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 230.00 |
| Extras | 20 (b 4 , lb 1 , nb 0, w 15, pen 0) |
| Total | 188/2 (17.5 Overs, RR: 10.54) |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binura Fernando | 4 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 6.25 | |
| Taskin Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 45 | 2 | 11.25 | |
| Chamika Karunaratne | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9.00 | |
| Thisara Perera | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10.00 | |
| Shadab Khan | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 10.67 | |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 3.5 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 14.00 | |
| Dunith Wellalage | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 13.00 | |
