Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Tuesday Apr 01, 2025
Monday, 24 March 2025 03:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Galle’s Dunith Wellalage routed Dambulla’s batting, taking six wickets
Avishka Fernando top-scored for Colombo with 74
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
Colombo came up with a splendid rearguard batting performance to deny Kandy an outright win in their National Super League 4-day match concluded at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, Hambantota yesterday.
Set a gigantic target of 599 to chase in 120 overs, Colombo, who began at 85-1, put up steadfast resistance to bat out the entire fourth and final day to finish on a satisfying note at 313-7.
Sri Lanka players Avishka Fernando (74 off 141 balls, 6 fours) and skipper Charith Asalanka (65 off 93 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) struck half-centuries apiece and Lahiru Madushanka contributed a valuable 39 off 100 balls, but it was left to Colombo’s eighth wicket pair Shehan Fernando (39* off 112 balls) and Kasun Rajitha (16* off 67 balls) to deprive Kandy of an outright win. The pair put up stiff resistance, batting 28 overs whilst adding 55. The amount of runs did not matter because the target was not within Colombo’s reach, but what was important was the occupation of the crease, which the pair did with resoluteness. Kandy tried out eight bowlers in their effort to press for a win, but it was not to be their day.
Dambulla suffered a 145-run defeat at the hands of Galle at the Galle Cricket Stadium, coming out for the first time in the tournament. Dambulla were dismissed for 105 in their second innings, chasing 251.
Dambulla Coach Thilina Kandamby put the batting collapse down to an excellent bowling performance by Dunith Wellalage, who made full use of a typical Galle pitch to spin his side out despite the fact that they were chasing only a reachable target. The damage to the Dambulla innings was done on the evening of the third day when they limped off on 27-6, on a day when there were frequent interruptions due to rain and bad light.
The inevitable was delayed by overnight batters Sahan Kosala (25) and Akila Dananjaya (28) that saw Dambulla add a further 78 to their score before being bowled out. Wellalage, who broke the back of the Dambulla batting accounting for four of the six wickets to fall on the third day, picked up a further two to finish with figures of 6/26, taking him within two wickets of capturing 100 first-class wickets, which he is most likely to achieve during the tournament. Wellalage had excellent support from another left-arm spinner, Dilum Sudeera, who took the remaining four wickets for 48 runs.
Spinners revelled on the Galle pitch, claiming 29 of the 40 wickets to fall in the match. Dambulla’s Akila Dananjaya was the most productive of them, taking a match bag of 12/163, but was unfortunate to finish on the losing side.
Results:
Galle 267 and 244
Dambulla 261 and 105 (o/n 27-6) (Sahan Kosala 25, Akila Dananjaya 28, Dilum Sudeera 4/48, Dunith Wellalage 6/26)
Kandy 460 and 244-3 decl.
Colombo 106 and 313-7 (o/n 85-1) (Avishka Fernando 74, Kavin Bandara 32, Charith Asalanka 65, Lahiru Madushanka 39, Shehan Fernando 39*, Shiran Fernando 2/59, Sahan Nanayakkara 3/76)
