END OF OVER:20 | 10 Runs 1 Wkt | CLK: 183/9 (20 runs required, RR: 9.15)
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman1 (1b)
- Malsha Tharupathi9 (4b)
- Mohamed Shiraz4-0-29-1
- Dilshan Madushanka4-0-30-3
That's a wrap on tonight's LPL action, folks! Time to say goodbye. Go well and take care!
Bhanuka Rajapaksa: [Peaking at the right time?] Of course. I think it's always nice to keep winning in the latter part of the tournament, and it's good to grab those two points. [Wellalage at number four] See, we wanted to give some time to Wellalage to settle in because he had been scoring runs, and we wanted to keep the left-hand and right-hand combination going. It unfortunately didn't work out for us today, but with the firepower we have in the lower order, it all came together in the end. [Points Table pressure] I would be lying if I said there's no pressure while playing, but it's great to grab those two points today and move up to second on the table alongside Galle. So there is some pressure, but it's all about keeping the wins coming and staying calm."
Player of the Match, Ibrahim Zadran: "[That was one tremendous innings] Thank you so much. I was trying to find my rhythm, and Alhamdulillah, I got it today. [Shifting gears] If you look at the whole tournament, as I said, I was searching for momentum and rhythm. It wasn't there initially, so I was just telling myself to take my time. I knew I had the shots to manage the innings and not to worry about the strike rate early on. The longer you stay out there, the easier it gets to target the bowlers later. That's what worked today. I didn't put any pressure on myself and just enjoyed it. [Unfortunately missed out on the hundred] It's fine. To be honest, I was thinking about the team. I'll get plenty of hundreds if I keep batting like this, but I was focused on those last seven balls. Getting the century would have made me very happy, sure, but the team comes first, and we were just trying to put a good total on the board."
Kamindu Mendis: "[How disappointed are you that you let the game slip?] Well, I don't complain. The boys did well in this game. Actually, I think we could have restricted them to around 190, but as a batting group, we could have easily chased it. I think Sadeera and I got out in a crucial situation, so that was the turning point of the game. [Sending Rathnayake over Liyanage] Yeah, we thought they were bowling left-arm orthodox, so we were trying to get a left and right-hand combination out there."
Xiphoid: "@Rashad Hridoy's last over made the differences"
11:11 pm An early blow losing Hermann, put the Kaps on the back foot, but Samarawickrama and Bandara fought back to steady the ship, taking the score to 48 in the powerplay. Just as the fielding restrictions were lifted, disaster struck when Bandara threw his wicket away in a suicidal run-out. Skipper Kamindu Mendis carried on his fine form, playing a rapid 28 off 13 before falling in the 11th over. Wellalage was brought into the attack in the 12th and immediately struck, removing the set Samarawickrama for 44; he was beaten by flight and clean bowled. Liyanage and Rathnayaka briefly reignited hope with a flurry of boundaries, but the target proved too much for the men in yellow. In the end, Towhid Hridoy's late blitz in the first innings, combined with the Kaps' costly dropped catches and misfields, made all the difference. The Kings' bowlers stayed disciplined with their lines and lengths at the death, backed up by some top-notch fielding to keep their cool. Late hitting from Liyanage, Tharupathi, and Neesham only managed to narrow the margin. Madushanka was the pick of the bowling attack with three wickets, while Williams claimed two, albeit on the expensive side. Wellalage, Mathews, and Shiraz chipped in with a wicket apiece. With this victory, the Jaffna Kings move into second place on the points table, dropping the Colombo Kaps down to third. Lizaad Williams received the purple cap, as he is now the highest wicket taker in the tournament.
Jaffna Kings won by 19 runs
Mujeeb Ur Rahman is the last batter in
JDS Neesham c Mathew b Shiraz 19 (22m 14b 3x4 0x6) SR: 135.71
Need four sixes now from Neesham.
30 needed off the last over. Here's Shiraz.
END OF OVER:19 | 2 Runs 1 Wkt | CLK: 173/8 (30 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.10, RRR: 30.00)
- James Neesham18 (12b)
- Malsha Tharupathi1 (1b)
- Dilshan Madushanka4-0-30-3
- Lizaad Williams4-0-47-2
around the wicket to Neesham
Malsha Tharupathi is the next batter in
W Sahan c †Mishara b Madushanka 0 (2m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
Over the wicket to Suhan
Wanuja Sahan is in at number 9. 32 runs needed off 12 balls. Madushanka to bowl out now. Around the wicket
END OF OVER:18 | 12 Runs 1 Wkt | CLK: 171/7 (32 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.50, RRR: 16.00)
- James Neesham17 (8b)
- Lizaad Williams4-0-47-2
- Dilshan Madushanka3-0-28-2
J Liyanage c Ibrahim Zadran b Williams 20 (19m 9b 4x4 0x6) SR: 222.22
44 runs needed off 18 balls. Williams to bowl out
END OF OVER:17 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | CLK: 159/6 (44 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 9.35, RRR: 14.66)
- James Neesham6 (3b)
- Janith Liyanage20 (8b)
- Dilshan Madushanka3-0-28-2
- Shakib Al Hasan3-0-27-0
James Neesham is in at number 8
RMMP Rathnayaka c †Mishara b Madushanka 26 (28m 15b 1x4 2x6) SR: 173.33
Here's Madushanka
