Dimuth, Thisara and Akila star in round 3 of Super Provincial Tournament 

By Madushka Balasuriya 

Dimuth Karunaratne continued his rich vein of form with his second 50 in four List A games, while some lusty late order hitting from Wanindu Hasaranga and Lahiru Madushanka gave Sri Lanka’s selectors more food for thought, following the conclusion of the third round of fixtures in the Super Provincial One-Day Tournament yesterday. 

Angelo Mathews, Oshada Fernando, and Dhananjaya De Silva were the other batsmen in the runs, while a five-wicket haul for Akila Dananjaya likely allayed some budding concerns around the spinner’s recent effectiveness after the remodelling of his action. 

In terms of results, heavy rain meant the Galle-Colombo game was brought to a close prematurely, though the teams will have a chance to duke it out once more when they meet in the final on Thursday. Dambulla meanwhile will have one last chance to register a win in the third place playoff on Wednesday, after succumbing to a seven-wicket trouncing at the hands of Kandy.

Kandy’s win was built around standout performances from Captain Karunaratne and Thisara Perera. Karunaratne served as an assured presence in his team’s chase of Dambulla’s 198, with his 74-ball 86, inclusive of nine boundaries, the anchor around which his teammates flourished. Following an opening stand of 35 with Sadeera Samarawickrama, Karunaratne was part of two successive 50-plus stands with Sangeeth Cooray and Pathum Nissanka. By the time he was dismissed, 36 runs short of the target, the outcome was in little doubt.

Thisara, meanwhile, had played a leading role in ensuring such a modest target for his team, picking up four wickets, including the crucial one of Mathews, on the way to figures of 4 for 25 in seven overs. 

Prior to that Mathews had ground out a laborious 67-ball 47, after yet another poor showing from the opening pair of Niroshan Dickwella (2) and Danushka Gunathilaka (0), on what was a fairly good batting track. Oshada Fernando, too, had shown some promise with a brisk 44 off 52 deliveries, but was sent packing by the wristspin of Jeffrey Vandersay.

In the day’s rain-abandoned game, Galle had been kept to a below par 258/9 courtesy of a vintage Akila Dananjaya performance. The spinner struck three times to break up threatening partnerships: Dhananjaya, who had produced the standout performance of round two, holed out following a good-looking 34 off 42 deliveries; 23 year-old Minod Bhanuka edged one to the keeper, bringing an end to 67-run sixth wicket partnership; and finally Wanindu Hasaranga, whose 60-ball 56 had the look of being the launching pad for a late-innings blitz, was trapped lbw. Only some long-hitting from fast-bowler Madushanka in a 33-ball 42 ensured a competitive total.

Colombo’s Avishka Fernando (27) and Upul Tharanga (15) had looked in good nick, racing to 55 for no loss in just seven overs of their chase before rain brought an end to the proceedings.