Galle Gladiators ground Kandy Falcons

Ashen Bandara played a lone hand for Kandy Falcons with 41*

Player of the Match Thanuka Dabare and Nuwanidu Fernando of Galle Gladiators scored their maiden fifties in the tournament

Maiden Lanka Premier League fifties from Player of the Match Thanuka Dabare and Nuwanidu Fernando saw Galle Gladiators hand out to Kandy Falcons their first defeat in the tournament winning the first double-header by 12 runs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

It was a great comeback by Galle to turn the game around after being reduced to 10-4 in the fourth over and convert it into their second win of the tournament.

Galle was under the pump in the first power play losing four wickets cheaply, three of them to big made West Indies all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite who was on a hat-trick after dismissing the two Pakistanis Azam Khan and Ifthikar Ahmed off successive balls in his second over. It was poor batting by the Galle top order that put them in that position.

However, Dabare dropped at 24 by Pathum Nissanka at deep square leg off Zahoor Khan and Fernando restored order with some intelligent batting, raising a partnership of 113 off 81 balls to put the Galle innings back on track enabling them to reach a respectable 153-6. The pair played out Wanindu Hasaranga and dealt severely with the other bowlers, laying a solid foundation to attack in the death overs. 

They never looked fazed by the enormity of the Kandy attack and backed their ability to make a statement, never afraid to use their feet and looking to put away the loose balls for four.

Fernando striking the ball well and picking the gaps made 56 off 50 balls (5 fours) and Dabare carried on till the end hitting six fours and two sixes mostly square of the wicket before being run out off the final ball of the innings for a well compiled 70.  

For the high riding Kandy the target didn’t represent much of a challenge, but on a slow pitch that offered some help for the bowlers they soon found themselves wobbling at 50-3 at the halfway stage of their innings. Hasaranga promoted himself in the batting to increase the tempo but lasted seven balls before hitting back a return catch to Imad Wasim whose four overs cost only 15 runs. Nuwan Thushara and Lakshan Sandakan further tightened the screws on the Kandy batting conceding 48 runs and capturing four wickets that saw five wickets fall for 29 runs.

Ashen Bandara and Chamika Karunaratne raised hopes in the Kandy camp when they figured in a seventh wicket partnership of 56 off 25 balls which was new record for the wicket, but Karunaratne attempting a suicidal second run was run out by yards for 32 (15 balls) which ended all hopes of Kandy reaching the target. 

With 24 required off the final over Bandara made a valiant effort with 41* off 30 balls (3 fours, 1 six), but managed only 11 as Nuwan Pradeep using all his experience bowled a tight over.

The game saw some indifferent fielding and catching where several easy catches were grassed as well as some brilliantly held. Galle lost their wicketkeeper Azam Khan when he was hit on the head off a delivery from Nuwan Pradeep in the 16th over after holding onto a brilliant one-handed catch to dismiss the dangerous Andre Fletcher for eight in the fourth over. Azam was not wearing a helmet and was stretchered off the field.  Lahiru Udara took over the gloves. (ST)

Scores: Galle Gladiators 153-6 (20) (Thanuka Dabare 70, Nuwanidu Fernando 56, Isuru Udana 2/19, Carlos Brathwaite 3/17)

Kandy Falcons 141-7 (20) (Pathum Nissanka 29, Ashen Bandara 41*, Chamika Karunaratne 32, Nuwan Thushara 2/26, Lakshan Sandakan 2/22)

(ST)