1.3 Thushara draws first blood, and it's a ripper! Perfects the Shaheen yorker from earlier, but this time he gets it past Hermann's feeble attempt at flicking this one from under his eyes. Bails off, batter walks out. Swung back quite late 3/1

2.4 Now he's down on one knee, Shaheen yorks him. But he glides a sweep out to deep fine leg. And Shaheen is consulting Mathews here, thinking it might be off his body and landing onto the stumps for an lbw here. An optimistic review, all things considered, since there was barely an appeal. But optimism has its ways! It was thudding into his back boot, it turns out; Samarawickrama has to walk back. Shaheen's pedigree just wins out against a rather risky approach from Samarawickrama 13/2

16.6 Over the wicket, the angle does the track. Another slower length ball slanting away from McDermott. He went across and looked to flat-bat it down the ground. Phillips has his eyes on the ball while running to his left from long-on, takes it reverse-cupped to end McDermott's blitz. 13 runs and a wicket from Afridi's last 173/5

6.4 He finally nails the reverse sweep, except he's nailed it right to deep point! Was lobbed up, tempting, right in front of the stumps. Batter goes down on one knee and middles this, but there's no elevation on this. Lands right into the mittens of Sandesh on the dive. He does well to hold on, a TV review by the umpires straightens out the facts: it's OUT! 58/3

12.1 "Catch it!" the cry. And long-on does superbly. It is the dangerman Liyanage walking back. Tossed up googly on leg. Not sure if he picked it. Looks to go downtown and ends up skying it high. Phillips has eyes on the ball even if he has to backtrack a little, takes it safely. An attacking knock nipped early 115/4

18.4 Skied high and Sanketh takes a very well-judged catch at the fine leg boundary! Slower bouncer from Thushara. Tharupathi goes for the pull over midwicket. He is early into his stroke because of the lack of pace and only got a top edge. Briefly it looked as if he would get a six for it but young Sanketh judged it nicely 186/6

19.6 Superb effort from Phillips at the deep point boundary! Full toss outside off, he slices it to the deep. Phillips charges to his right from sweeper cover, dives and saves the boundary. They want the third but won't get it despite the dive. The throw is next to the stumps to KJP, who does the rest. 15 runs from the last over helps Colombo breach the 200 mark 203/7

13.3 Is that the final nail in Kandy's coffin? Udara, with his silken timing, finds long-off to perfection. Tossed up full and outside off, it spins further away. Udara goes for the aerial drive but loses control because of the away spin. Knows as soon as bat makes contact with ball. Perhaps curtains to a stupendous LPL 2026 that he has had 106/6

4.2 Pawan's had an impressive stay at the crease, but it's been cut short. He missed an absolutely straight one looking to thump a drive down the ground. Just more dip than he expected and it bounces right off his front pad, and into the stumps 44/1

7.3 Phillips has looked, frankly, miserable against the spinners. And Jimmy Neesham's dive out at long-on brings his brief innings to a close. He looked to loft it over the bowler's head but with no conviction, and his half-hearted loft lands right into Neesham's hands 65/2

8.1 Wharracatch, he's been strangled down the leg side! Was speared in and drifting past his pads, Perera's looking to flick this. The keeper is already running to the left and he gobbles up this catch quite far away from he originally stood: great awareness 68/3

11.2 Straight to long-on! Back of a length ball outside off. Iftikhar hangs back and looks to heave it over the on side. It gets big on him and he can only hit it down Neesham's throat in the deep. Didn't have to move much 93/4

12.3 Superb catch running forward from deep cover. Liyanage has eyes on the ball as he tumbles and holds on. This one is slower through the air from Mujeeb. Hasaranga once again throws his hands at it. Slices it in the air and does not get away 104/5

14.6 Chipped to cover. Soft, soft end to Vijay's LPL season. Juicy full toss on middle. He could have despatched it anywhere. But he looks to tamely clip it through the on side. Closes the face of his blade a little early, head not steady either. It flies off the leading edge to the fielder in the ring on the off side 114/7

15.4 Mujeeb has his revenge? No says the umpire but he wants to review. Colombo opt for the DRS. He goes wide of the crease and darts it in. Full and straight on middle. Mathews gets down to play the slog sweep, misses. Looks plumb, is plumb, not sure why it wasn't given in the first place. Kandy lose their captain now 122/8

16.1 Catching practice for cover! Dahani digs it in, bowls it on the hard length outside off. Afridi, facing his first ball, looks to drive it on the up. The extra bounce means he spoons it towards cover, where Hermann pulls off a sliding catch running forward 122/9

18.4 Spooned to backward point! Slower ball outside off, Thushara slices it to Neesham, who dives forward and holds on. A comfortable 68-run win and Colombo meet Galle in Qualifier 2 135/10