Joint defending champions SSC fight to avoid relegation

SSC needs to bring their A game into play and start winning if they are to avoid relegation

• SLC Major Club 3-day tournament enters fifth week

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

At the halfway mark of the SLC Major Club 3-day tournament group stage, joint defending champions SSC finds themselves precariously placed at the bottom of Group B without a win and in danger of being relegated to Tier B next year unless they uplift their game and start winning the remaining 4 matches.

The bottom two teams of each of the two groups will be relegated to play in the lower ranks as Sri Lanka Cricket’s tournament committee strives to make the tournament more competitive by reducing the number of teams in the Major Club 3-day to 12.

So far from a ridiculous figure of 26 clubs, the gradual relegation has seen eight clubs being demoted to play in Tier B over a period of two seasons. The end of the current season which has 18 clubs will see a further four clubs relegated to the lower rank, followed by two more clubs the next season.

Making SSC’s task more difficult is the inclement weather that has seen their last two games against Kandy Customs CC and CCC ending in draws following defeats in their first two matches. Add to this is that they will not have the services of three top red ball players Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya who are on national duty for the upcoming two Tests against Australia.

So SSC has a tough task to think out of the box and try to manufacture a win from somewhere to keep their hopes of survival alive. Today they play BRC at the BRC grounds. Their problems lie in the lack of depth in their bowling. Dasun Shanaka is their leading wicket-taker with 12 wickets at 13.25, but the disappointing aspect is that Sri Lanka’s leading spinner Prabath Jayasuriya has yet to produce his best this season. His 10 wickets have come at an average of 43.30. A lot rests on the young shoulders of Nuwanidu Fernando who leads SSC this season with a young talented bunch of cricketers who need to raise their level and bring their A game into play.    

Several other clubs who commence matches today will also be sans their top players who are part of the Sri Lanka squad preparing to take on Australia in two Test matches at Galle starting next week. But they are not so perilously placed in their respective groups as SSC.

Worst hit is CCC who are without five players – Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Sonal Dinusha. CCC take on Moors SC at the Colts grounds in what could be the key match of the weekend. Moors SC too are without two national cricketers Sadeera Samarawickrama and Milan Rathnayake.

Moors SC are breathing down the neck of Group B table toppers NCC who will look to grab full points when they host Nugegoda SWC at the NCC grounds. NCC however will miss national cricketers Pathum Nissanka (recovering from groin strain), Lahiru Kumara and Lahiru Udara who are part of the national Test squad.

Negombo CC like SSC are at the bottom of Group A and will miss the services of off-spinner Nishan Peiris. Negombo CC play Bloomfield (who will be sans Jeffrey Vandersay) at Bloomfield grounds.

With second placed Panadura SC having a free weekend, defending joint champions Police SC have a great chance to extend their lead at the top in Group A when they meet a struggling Ragama CC at De Soysa Stadium, Moratuwa.

Colts’ top two batters Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal will be missing from their line up when they confront Badureliya SC at Surrey Village, Maggona.

Two other matches are starting on a later date. Kandy Customs CC and Tamil Union commence their match at Thurstan grounds on Saturday, and the Chilaw Marians CC-Ace Capital CC game begins at CCC on Sunday.