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Kasun Rajitha knocked over the Dambulla Aura batting with his first-for in T20 cricket
Charith Asalanka celebrates his half-century to guide Colombo to victory
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
It was another night to forget for Dambulla Aura as nothing seems to be going right for them in edition three of the Lanka Premier League. Yesterday at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium they were bundled out for a mere 89 by Colombo Stars who went onto win the second double-header quite handsomely by nine wickets with plenty to spare. It was Dambulla’s fifth consecutive loss and left them without a win at the bottom of the table.
Dambulla’s woes began with the first delivery of the match when Lasith Croospulle chopped the ball from Kasun Rajitha onto his stumps. That wicket led to Rajitha running amok at the Dambulla batting sending back Croospulle’s opening partner Shevon Daniel also for a duck in the very first over of the innings.
When Suranga Lakmal followed with the prize wicket of Bhanuka Rajapaksa for four the innings at 11-3 was already in tatters. By the end of the first powerplay Dambulla had lost seven wickets for 54, only the eleventh time it has happened in T20 cricket.
On a pitch that was offering some help Rajitha proved to be unstoppable as he waded into the Dambulla innings to finish with figures of 5 for 22 for his first five-for in T20 cricket and pick up the Player of the Match award. In all seriousness it was quite a shocking display of batting by Dambulla.
At the start of the run chase Dambulla had a slight sniff of trying to pull back the game when they got the wicket of Niroshan Dickwella for a first ball duck. But that was as far as they could get because Dinesh Chandimal and Charith Asalanka ensured there would not be any more dramas in the match, forging an unbroken stand of 90 to see their team home and dry.
While Chandimal (31* off 32 balls) played a supporting role in the partnership, Asalanka produced a gem of an innings scoring his first 50 of the tournament – 58* off 36 balls with the aid of four sixes and five fours against an attack that lacked any penetration.
“It hurts, but the brand of cricket we play is very poor,” admitted Dambulla captain Dasun Shanaka at the post-match interview. “I think the youngsters haven’t grabbed the opportunities, while the senior guys haven’t played to their potential. Compared to the other sides, our combination is also not the best. That’s something we need to look at before coming into a tournament such as this.”
As for Colombo it seems like they’ve turned the corner. “I think we’ve played really good cricket over the last couple of days. Firstly, I think the belief in the camp. We knew we had the players and talent, we just had to get the combinations right and the batting order right. We have improved with each and every game. Obviously winning gives you confidence, the momentum is huge,” said Colombo skipper Angelo Mathews whose team sits on third spot in the table.
Scores
