Kandy Falcons outplay Jaffna Kings for a second time

Fabian Allen rescued Kandy Falcons with a power-packed knock of 47 off 23 balls

Carlos Brathwaite ran through the Jaffna Kings batting taking four wickets

• West Indians Allen, Brathwaite shine for winners

Currently the two best teams in the ongoing Lanka Premier League, Kandy Falcons and Jaffna Kings met for the second time of the league stage and once again Kandy got the better of the defending champions winning the first double header by 10 runs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

When they met for the first time Kandy won by three wickets and with this win Kandy have taken pole position in the standings with 10 points from six matches to Jaffna’s eight in as many.

Kandy’s win came on the back of two West Indians performances – Fabian Allen with the bat and Carlos Brathwaite with the ball.

Kandy seemed to be in the doldrums at 79-6 in the 14th over when Allen announced his arrival and changed the fortunes with a blinder hammering 47 off 23 balls comprising four sixes and three fours to take the Player of the Match award.

During his brief foray in the middle Kandy’s total rose by 72 runs off 37 balls. In fact, Kandy hammered 65 runs off the last five overs with Chamika Karunaratne providing the final flourish with 18 off nine balls that included two sixes, the second hit off the final ball of the innings to take their total to 160-8.  

Kandy had a decent start scoring 42-1 in the first powerplay, but lost their way in the middle overs especially against Dunith Wellalage who snapped up two key wickets of Andre Fletcher (35 off 22 balls) and Brathwaite for a golden duck to finish with excellent figures of 2/7. Jaffna also began well in pursuit of 161 scoring 50-2 in the first power play, but unlike Kandy they failed to inject impetus into their batting in the middle. Wanindu Hasaranga and Allen put the skids under them with tidy overs to shift the balance of power as Jaffna lost five wickets for 44 runs in seven overs slumping from 63-2 to 107-7.

The main damage to the Jaffna innings was done by the big made West Indian fast bowler Carlos Brathwaite who has been phenomenal with the ball. Brathwaite has been in his element with dream spells in the first power play and yesterday picking up wickets each time the ball was thrown to him.

He ended up taking four wickets for 18 runs to take his tally to 15 wickets in the tournament so far – 11 of them in the powerplay, well ahead of his captain Hasaranga and Nuwan Thushara of Galle Gladiators who each have nine wickets.

Sadeera Samarawickrama who was excellent behind the stumps pulling off a sensational one-handed catch to dismiss Kamindu Mendis, tried to make a game of it with a compact 48 off 41 balls (5 fours) but found no support coming from the other end and eventually lost his wicket trying to force the pace. (ST)

Scores

nKandy Falcons 160-8 (20) (Andre Fletcher 35, Ashen Bandara 24, Fabian Allen 47, Dunith Wellalage 2/7, Dilshan Madushanka 2/41, Waqar Salamkheil 2/40, James Fuller 2/28)

nJaffna Kings 150-9 (20) (Avishka Fernando 33, Sadeera Samarawickrama 48, Carlos Brathwaite 4/18, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/21)