Amir five-for keeps Gladiators semi-final hopes alive

By Madushka Balasuriya 

The sixth time is the charm it seems for the Galle Gladiators as they registered their first win of the My11Circle Lanka Premier League, beating the Colombo Kings by eight wickets to keep their faint hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals alive.

The win was built on the back of a reinvigorated performance in the field, which included a five-wicket haul from Mohammed Amir, a return to form for Lakshan Sandakan, and some more-than-competent catching in the deep.

Indeed, this performance with the ball was as needed as it was unexpected for the Gladiators, as an attack that had looked lethargic and uninspiring in their previous outings suddenly looked rejuvenated. While Amir was impressive as ever on his way to figures of 5 for 26, for once he was not alone in his efforts.

Among the biggest contributors was Nuwan Thushara, who had been drafted in for the expensive Asitha Fernando, and left many of those watching scratching their heads as to how it had taken five games for him to get a look in. With his round-arm slinging action, it was hard not to be reminded of Lasith Malinga, even if his pace did not quite hit the heights of Mali’s early years. While he failed to pick up a wicket, his unorthodox action and ability to regularly find the yorker length, meant his four over spell went for a fairly economical 31 runs – 14 of which came off his final over, which was incidentally the penultimate over of the innings.

Tight opening spells from Amir and Thushara, meant the powerplay period saw only 46 runs given away, while both Kings openers, Laurie Evans and Dinesh Chandimal, were sent packing. While Evans was done in by an excellent in-swinger from the excellent Dhananjaya Lakshan, that upon review was adjudged to be clipping leg stump, the wicket of Chandimal – who looked threatening on his way to a 20-ball 35 – was the more important breakthrough, an Amir bouncer rushing the batsman into a pull that could only be lobbed to midwicket.

The spinners then took control through the middle overs, as the need to up the scoring rate forced risks to be taken against the likes of Sandakan. This worked out just as the Gladiators would have hoped, with the chinaman’s four over spell of 3 for 33 proving not only economical, but also accounting for the prize scalps of Angelo Mathews, Ashan Priyanjan and Andre Russell. 

Russell’s wicket in particular, coming at the end of the 13th over, was a pivotal moment; he had just hit Sandakan for back-to-back boundaries, but off the final ball of his spell Sandakan tossed one up slower outside off, almost goading Russell into dragging the ball across to his favoured midwicket region - Russell would oblige, and just like Sandakan might have planned, the big West Indian only managed to sky it for the bowler to complete a good return catch.

At 105/5, things were looking a bit dicey for the Kings, but still at the crease were Daniel Bell-Drummond and Thikshila de Silva. Bell-Drummond, who would go on to grind out a 36-ball 44, and Thikshila, with a 17-ball 27, would put on an important 39-run stand for the sixth wicket, but Amir would return to dismiss them both in the space of an over. After that a few lofty hits from Isuru Udana would push the Kings to 171, before Amir would dismiss him off the final ball of the innings.

The Gladiators’ chase was all but a formality once Danushka Gunathilaka, the tournament’s top-scorer, got going, as he and Ahsan Ali put on a 97-run opening stand off just 63 deliveries. There was a brief moment of panic after Gunathilaka was trapped LBW by Afghan leg-spinner Qais Ahmed, and while Bhanuka Rajapaksa was given out LBW the very next delivery, a smart referral showed the ball going over the top of Rajapaksa’s off stump.

From there on though it was rather straightforward. While Ali would fall to Dhammika Prasad for 56, Rajapaksa and Azam Khan would ensure the Gladiators would canter home with 15 balls to spare.