After a baffling start, Jaffna managed to show some stability in their tournament opener against Dambulla, while Galle stood comfortable against Kandy in the other clash of the week.
After being bamboozled by the intimidating pacers of Dambulla – Vishwa Fernando and Asitha Fernando – Team Jaffna have final crept back into their first game of the tournament. They shot out cheaply for 62 runs in the first innings, but managed to restrict Dambulla to a decent total of 213 runs.
Coming out in their second innings, the Jaffna openers gave them a decent start by putting up a 115-run stand for the first wicket. Seasoned campaigner Ron Chandraguptha scored 67 runs to top the batting card so far in the innings, while his opening partner, the young and exuberant Navod Paranavithana, shone with 67 runs.
At the close of play, Jaffna had just gotten into lead, having gotten 57 runs ahead of Dambulla as the scoreboard read 208 runs with 6 wickets intact.
Only Asitha of the speeding Fernandos managed to pick up a wicket in the second innings so far, while Ashan Priyanjan and Duvindu Tillakaratne both picked up a wicket apiece.
In the Kandy-Galle encounter, Galle, who comes in with a win already under their belt, stand comfortably in front as Kandy dig into their second essay with still 54 runs behind.
After posting a competitive 290 runs on the board for the first innings and picking up the first wicket of Galle in the very first over, Kandy would have thought they were well ahead in this game. However, Sangeeth Cooray and the heaps of experience he brings into the game, stood to prove otherwise. Cooray scored a brilliant century, boosting their team yet again to the steering seat of the match.
The left-hander struck an elegant 132 runs with 12 captivating hits for four and 2 handsome sixes.
He was well-supported by Lakshan Edirisinghe, who scored a valuable 70, while wicketkeeper batter Vishad Randika aided with 53 runs. Pioneer Angelo Mathews also chipped in with 44 runs. Galle ended their first innings with a steady 365 runs, putting them in a controlling position in this game.
The up-and-coming seamer Nipun Ranshika was the star with the ball for Kandy as the right-arm quick bagged 3 scalps for 85 runs. He is a bowler with menacing pace and skill.
New kid on the block Wanuja Sahan also impressed with 3 wickets to his merits, including the big fish – Angelo Mathews.
