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Lahiru Kumara of Dambulla Aura returned his best figures in LPL with 4/35
Niroshan Dickwella top scored for Colombo Stars with a perky 62
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
Two teams without a single win in the ongoing Lanka Premier League met at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium yesterday and at the end of the game, Colombo Stars emerged victorious by nine runs defending their total 165-8 quite successfully against Dambulla Aura.
Colombo’s win left Dambulla Aura and Galle Gladiators as the two teams without a win at the end of the first round robin league that completes the matches at Hambantota.
Shot out for a meagre 90 in their first match against Kandy Falcons, Colombo put up a far better batting display against Dambulla, with Niroshan Dickwella leading the way with a sparkling knock of 62 off 41 balls (8 fours, 2 sixes). The Lankan wicket-keeper/batsman raced to his half-century off 34 balls improvising superbly, hitting the ball to areas where the opposing captain least expected it to be hit. His fine improvisation tended to put the bowlers off their lines and lengths.
Dickwella’s knock came at a crucial time when Lahiru Kumara had threatened to run through the Colombo batting by capturing the first three wickets in his opening spell to have them struggling at 26-3 in the third over. Extracting a lot of bounce from a new pitch, Kumara used the strong wind that blew across the ground to his advantage to return his best figures in LPL with 4/35.
Dickwella added 54 for the fourth wicket with Ravi Bopara (26) to keep Colombo’s momentum going despite the loss of wickets. Contributions of 29* and 18 from Dinesh Chandimal and Dominic Drakes respectively saw Colombo reach a decent total which their bowlers could defend.
As in their first game, Dambulla were off to a flying start with openers Shevon Daniel and Jordan Cox setting the pace for the run chase with a stand of 53 off 29 balls. They kept their required run-rate in check but lost a wicket too many as Colombo clawed their way back into the game.
A lot rested on the captain Dasun Shanaka but he could do little as Colombo quite judiciously kept him away from the strike so that at the end, he faced only 20 balls in his unbeaten 31. Dambulla required 23 off the last over, but Karim Janat’s first three deliveries were dot balls which more or less sealed the game for Colombo despite the fact that Shanaka hit the next two for sixes, but managed only a single off the final delivery.
Dickwella took the Player of the Match award for his half-century coupled with two fine catches behind the wicket.
Scores:
