Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Thursday Nov 14, 2024
Friday, 20 August 2021 00:58 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
SLC Greys Skipper Dasun Shanaka (right) and Kamil Mishara return at the end of their innings after putting on a unbroken partnership of 94 off 38 balls against SLC Greens
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
These days, everything that Sri Lanka’s white-ball Captain Dasun Shanaka does seems to produce a winning result in his favour.
On Wednesday, his team SLC Greys won a rain-hit contest against SLC Greens by a mere four runs on the Duckworth and Lewis (D/L) rule to edge closer to winning a place in the final of the Dialog SLC Invitational T20 League played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. It was the Greys’ fourth win in as many matches, while for the hapless Greens it was their fourth straight defeat in the contest.
Invited to bat first in a contest reduced to a 10-over shoot-out due to a delayed start, Greys got off to a flying start with openers Lasith Croospulle (17) and Kamil Mishara (46* off 24 balls) posting 32 off 13 balls. The momentum was carried forward by Mishara and Shanaka despite three wickets falling cheaply for 11 runs in 9 balls. In a display of carefree batting, the pair added 94 off 38 balls that saw Greys to a formidable total of 137/3 at the end of 10 overs. Shanaka completed his third fifty of the tournament, smashing a splendid 55* off 22 balls, inclusive of three sixes and five fours.
The Greens’ reply was delayed by rain during the innings break, and when the contest began, Lahiru Udara meant business from the first ball, hitting a four to fine leg off Nuwan Pradeep and following it up with two sixes and a four off the next three balls when the second interruption for rain came with Greens on 20/0 off 0.4 overs. When the innings resumed once again, the Green’s D/L revised target was 111 off 8 overs. But after they had taken their total to 69/3 in 5.3 overs, the heavens opened up once again and when the match was eventually halted, Greens found themselves four runs adrift of the target score of 74, which they should have achieved at the end of 5.3 overs.
The Greens’ chances of making it to the final at this stage is a long shot. They have two more second round league games in hand against SLC Blues on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., and against SLC Reds on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Even if they win both contests, the maximum points they can get is four, which is what the Blues and the Reds have at present with two matches in hand. Blues and Reds must lose both their games against Greens and Greys for the Greens to have an outside chance, which is quite unlikely to happen.
The second game today is between Greys and Reds, and if the latter manages to win it, the Greens’ dream of making the final will be lost. Reds, after a slow beginning when they lost their first two matches, have picked up some momentum and have won back-to-back matches with skipper Dinesh Chandimal making a statement to the national selectors by leading his team from the front with consecutive fifties. With the likes of Avishka Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Akila Dananjaya, Oshada Fernando – all current white-ball players, the Reds are looking quite a formidable side. They will be fully tested today when they front up with table leaders Greys for whom Shanaka has played the lead role in three of their four victories.
At the moment, it is a three-cornered tussle for the top two berths between Greys, Blues and Reds.
Result:
SLC Greys beat SLC Greens by 4 runs (D/L method)
SLC Greys 137-3 (10) (Kamil Mishara 46*, Dasun Shanaka 55*)
SLC Greens 69-3 (5.3) (Lahiru Udara 33, Pathum Nissanka 21, Chaturanga de Silva 2/21)
