Kandy Falcons’ experienced trio outshines Dambulla Sixers in LPL-5 curtain-raiser

Opening ceremony of LPL-5: The five captains with LPL Brand Ambassador Michael Clarke (third from right)

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Kandy Falcons’ seasoned trio of Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka outshone Dambulla Sixers pair Mark Chapman and Chamindu Wickramasinghe as they guided the defending champions to an emphatic six wickets win in the opening match of the Lanka Premier League season 5 played at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Facing a challenging total of 180, it was Chandimal who set it up for Kandy with a 40-ball 65 (6 fours, 3 sixes) as they reached 83-3 at the halfway mark.

The second half of the innings was dominated by the experienced pair of Mathews and Shanaka who were involved in an exhilarating fifth wicket stand of 72 off just 27 balls as they took the Dambulla attack apart. More than Mathews it was Shanaka who drilled into the bowling slamming five sixes and three fours as he raced to 46* off 15 balls. To take on one of the best white ball bowlers in the world Mustafizur Rahman and to hit him requires immense skill and Shanaka showed that, as the bowler conceded 44 runs off his three overs which included four sixes. Mathews also played his part scoring 37* off 20 balls (5 fours, 1 six).  

Earlier, Dambulla recovered from a disastrous start to post a testing total of 179-4 largely due to a superb partnership by Mark Chapman and Chamindu Wickramasinghe.

Kandy was superb in the first power play snapping up four wickets, three of them by former Sri Lanka white ball skipper Shanaka whose first spell of three overs brought him figures of 3/15. Shanaka used all his experience to contain the two batsmen conceding just 20 runs off his four overs, while the rest of his colleagues apart from Dushmantha Chameera (0/27) took a beating. Mohammad Hasnain was taken to the cleaners as his four overs cost a princely 53 runs (5 fours, 2 sixes) and included three no-balls which ended up in free hits.   

However, the Chapman-Wickramasinghe partnership absorbed the pressure to build up a partnership of 154* off 99 balls that saw Dambulla Sixers to a total which they thought they could defend. It was a score which they would not have thought possible when they were 40-4 at the end of the first power play. 63 was scored off the last five overs and 116 off the last ten as the two played risk free cricket. However, Kandy took advantage of a good batting surface to outplay Dambulla as their bowlers faltered in their lengths and lines. Shanaka with three wickets and knock of 46* took the Player of the Match award.

TODAY: Jaffna Kings v Galle Marvels (3 pm); Colombo Strikers v Kandy Falcons (7.30 pm)

Scores: Dambulla Sixers 179-4 (20) (Mark Chapman 91*, Chamindu Wickramasinghe 62*, Dasun Shanaka 3/20)

Kandy Falcons 183-4 (17.2) (Dinesh Chandimal 65, Kamindu Mendis 27, Angelo Mathews 37*, Dasun Shanaka 46*)