The Inaugural match of the Last Man Stands, also known as the LMS format, kicked off at the De Mazenod Grounds in Kandana on the 23rd of October.
A total 4 teams will take part this year, namely UB Finance, Flexi Packaging, Friends Cricket Club and Lanka Lions.
The format commenced as a league with each team facing off against each other. The first 3 games were played on the 23rd of October and the remaining games will be played on the 26th. The top two teams at the end of the round robin phase will face off once again on the 6th of November in the title decider.
The winners will take home a cash price of Rs. 100,000 while the runners up will be handed a cash price of Rs. 50,000.
The format was invented by two Englishmen, Bjorn Briggs and Wayne Greve. Initially made popular among the amateur leagues in England, soon many teams around the globe caught up with the trend and currently over 2000 teams play the format.
The format is T20, with each team comprising of 8 players. LMS, as any other format of cricket, carries the standard set of rules, nonetheless has its own twists and turns as well. LMS maintains its own website in which player details, statistics and rankings are offered in order. This enables players to compare performances subject to their local LMS T20 competitions through a global platform. All teams are subjected to Team world rankings as well.
Currently, major cricketing nations such as England, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh have opened their doors to the LMS format. USA is another emerging cricket playing nation which has embraced the new format. Once every 2 years a LMS World Championship is held. The Kensington Oval accommodated the 2015 competition and the tournament was streamed live globally. The next World Championship is proposed to be held in the rainbow nation in 2017. Any nation is being welcomed to register and take part and financial incentives will be provided for local and national competitions.
Player Rankings and live scoring:
All player and team statistics are recorded and uploaded come the conclusion of every game. As mentioned prior this brings together players in terms comparing individual and team performances.
The on-field umpires are given a device in which the scores are maintained and are shared live on the LMS official website. This permits players as much as spectators to follow the game live as it happens.
Results of the matches played on the 23rd of October
Match No 1: Lanka Lions beat Friends CC by 6 wickets
Friends CC: 97/6 in 20 overs (Vinoth Kumara 49* , Jesley Richards 21, Jesley Frank 19, Ruwan Chathuranga 2/19, Tharindu Mendis 2/22, Anil Rideegammanagedara 2/23)
Lanka Lions: 98/2 in 7 overs (Pramod Madhuwantha 48*, Shameera Weerasinghe 46*
Man of the match: Pramod Madhuwantha (Lanka Lions)
Match No 2: Flexi Packaging beat Friends CC by 12 runs
Flexi Packaging: 150/8 in 20 overs (Risith Upamala 46, Chalitha Chamod 46, Ruwan Rupesinghe 22, Nuwan Hettiarachchi 12, Jersey Frank 2/21, Buddhika Sampath 2/25, Ashen Perera 2/34, Sanjeewa Durairajah 2/35
Friends CC: 138/6 in 20 overs (Jersey Frank 53, Asira Wageesha 29, Jersey Richards 22, Sanjeewan Durairajah 22, Thiwanka Kekulawala 2/18)
Man of the Match: Jersey Frank (Friends CC)
Match No. 3: Lanka Lions beat UB Finance by 5 wickets
UB Finance: 158/6 in 20 overs (Nipun Gamage 82*, Vimukthi Pieris 19, Mithun, Jayawickrame 17, Sachitha Perera 2/38, Ruwan Chathuranga 1/13, Pramod Maduwantha 1/20, Shameera Weerasinghe 1/26)
Lanka Lions: 160/3 in 18.4 overs (Umesh Kasun 49, Tharindu Roshan 48*, Pramod Madhuwantha 16*, Shameera Weerasinghe 16, Tharindu Mendis 14, Brian Jayamanne 1/11, Mithun Jayawickrame 1/29)
Man of the match: Nipun Gamage (UB Finance)
Lanka Lions lead the points table with 17 points in two matches.
30th October
Lanka Lions vs Flexi Packaging – 9.00 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.
Flexi Packaging vs UB Finance – 12.00 p.m. – 2.00 p.m.
UB Finance vs Friends CC – 3.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m.
6th November
Final – 11.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. (Group A vs Group B)
