Colombo Kings put an end to Jaffna’s winning streak

By Shamseer Jaleel reporting from Hambantota

Colombo Kings put an end to the unbeaten run of Jaffna Stallions with a 6-wicket win in their My11circle Lanka Premier League 2020 T20 encounter, which was played under lights at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Sooriyawewa yesterday.

Colombo Kings won the toss and put the Jaffna Stallions up to bat on an unpredictable new wicket used at the Sooriyawewa ground. Jaffna opted to rest their senior players and bring in four changes for their team in a try-out option as they lead the points table with 4 wins. 

They opened their innings with in-form Avishka Fernando, and Johnson Charles playing his first game in the LPL 2020. But the Jaffna outfit could not get a flying start as they lost out their first wicket when the score was on 10 when Dushmantha Chameera got Charles for 7. Minod Bhanuka joined Avishka Fernando, who already came in to this game scoring two half centuries in this LPL tournament. 

He looked in peak form, cutting and pulling at will. He went for a lofted shot off Ahmed and was caught in the deep for 26. Shoaib Malik with over 400 T20’s joined Minod at the wicket. With the lightning-fast outfield, both Malik and Vinod batted beautifully. They pushed around, making the score board tick regularly. 

But Ahmed – who bowled – beautifully took the price wicket of Shoaib Malik for 8. Jaffna lost their third wicket at 63, putting them in a spot of bother. Ahmed – who bowled with a purpose and a tight line and length – took Minod for 21 as the Jaffna outfit lost their 4th wicket at 66. This brought in skipper Thisara Perera to the wicket to join Dhananjaya de Silva. 

Dhananjaya de Silva lost out his wicket for 2, putting the unbeaten Jaffna in deep trouble, losing half of their side for only 74 runs. Wanidu Hasaranga joined his skipper Thisara at the wicket. But Thisara played his usually attacking innings but it was short-lived as he lost his wicket for 18 with Dushmantha Chameera taking his wicket varying his bowling with a mixture of pace, slow and bouncy deliveries.  Jaffna lost their 6th wicket at 86 as wickets tumble at regular intervals. Chaturanga de Silva did not trouble the scorers as they lost out their 7th wicket. Russell – bowling at half pace – took his first wicket of the match when the score was at 87. Binura Fernando and Wanidu Hasaranga did the repair job for the Jaffna team. Batting was very tough with some accurate bowling, unpredictable wickets with a lot of bounce, which supported the bowlers. Both batted well but briefly as Binura – batting with some difficulty – lost his wicket for 11, putting Jaffna at 114 for 8. Hasaranga batted well with some powerful shots. He hit Isuru Udana for five consecutive boundaries giving some respectability for their score board. He batted with lot of authority, scoring 41 off only 23 balls, and 7 boundaries and one huge six. Angelo Matthews took his wicket when he went for quick runs. Jaffna ended on 148 for 9 in their 20 overs.   

Colombo Kings took lease of the wicket with Dinesh Chandimal and Laurie Evans. But Colombo had almost a shocking start when Chandimal was given ‘out’ when he was yet to open the account, with Colombo Kings taking the review, the ball pitching slightly outside the leg stump, saving his wicket. Chandimal got his second life when he was dropped by Hasaranga off his own bowling in a tough chance with a return catch. But later Hasaranga clean bowled Evans for 14 when the score was on 28. But Chandimal, after getting two chances, batted well with lot of authority and power in his shots, milking it well. Drummond who found his life tough at the centre was unable to read Hasaranga. He did not trouble the scorer, giving Hasaranga his second wicket. Skipper Angelo Matthews joined Chandimal at the wicket. Both batted with much authority and confidence, choosing which bowl to hit. Eighteen-year-old Jaffna schoolboy Vijayakanth Viyaskanth took his first wicket when Shoaib Malik took a fantastic catch in the deep. Angelo scored 22. Both Russell and Chandimal put on for the 4th wicket. Russell – who showed nervousness when facing the spinners – settled well, with fast-bowler Dinura Fernando returning for his third over, where he clubbed him for 20 runs with two huge sixes and two boundaries in one single over, and looked very comfortable with pace. Russell went for quick runs and lost his wicket for 32 runs off only 20 balls. Chandimal batted beautifully and elegantly to end on unbeaten 68 off 51 balls. He hit seven boundaries and two huge sixes in his knock.

After yesterday’s matches, despite their defeat, Jaffna (8) lead the table, followed by Dambulla and Colombo – both on 6 points; they are followed by Kandy with 2 points, while Galle are yet to open their account. 

Chief Scores

Jaffna Stallions 148 for 9 in 20 overs

Wanidu Hasaranga 41, Avishka Fernando 26, Minod Bhanuka 21, Thisara Perera 18

Quais Ahmed 3 for 24, Dushmantha Chameera 2 for 27  

Colombo Kings 151 for 4 in 19.2 overs

Dinesh Chandimal 68 not out, Andre Russell 32, Angelo Matthews 22,

Wanidu Hasaranga 2 for 23

Man of the Match Dinesh Chandimal (Colombo Kings)