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Sahan Arachchige played a gem of an innings of 53 for Galle Gladiators
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
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Experienced pair Angelo Mathews and Ravi Bopara carried Colombo Stars over the line with an unbroken stand of 65
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Two of the most experienced cricketers in the Lanka Premier League, Ravi Bopara and Angelo Mathews saw Colombo Stars record their first win in a knockout stage when they guided the team to a seven-wicket win over Galle Gladiators in the eliminator match played at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.
In a match reduced to 18 overs a side because of rain and a delayed start, Colombo kept Galle down to a total of 108-9 and then knocked the runs off in 16.5 overs with Bopara and Mathews sharing an unbroken stand of 65 off 52 balls which sealed the fate of Galle in the tournament.
The win meant that Galle are eliminated from the tournament, while Colombo progress to play in Qualifier 2 against Kandy Falcons today commencing 7:30 p.m.
Galle tried hard to make a game of it by capturing three Colombo wickets for 44 in the first nine overs, but they came up against the experienced pair of Bopara and Mathews who worked the ball around nicely and eventually saw the team over the line quite comfortably. Bopara who took the Player of the Match scored an unbeaten 43 off 28 balls (6 fours), while Mathews played the anchor role in the partnership with 20* off 25 balls (2 fours).Galle began their innings so badly that their first three top order batters made just 14 runs off 34 balls against some excellent seam bowling by Kasun Rajitha and Suranga Lakmal. So tight was the Colombo bowling that Galle did not score a single boundary in the first strategic time out after 8 overs during which period they made only 26/3. If not for a gem of an innings from Sahan Arachchige, Galle would have got nowhere. Playing only his second T20 game Arachchige assessed the conditions well and really made his mark scoring a splendid 53 off 31 balls, inclusive of three sixes and three fours. Colombo was brilliant on the field with their bowlers giving nothing away making life difficult for Galle.
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