Star-studded SLC Reds favourites for today’s final

SLC Reds team

SLC Blues team   

• SLC Blues captain Asalanka tests COVID-19 positive

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

After three days of intense competition, SLC Reds and SLC Blues have qualified to play in the final of the SLC Skyexch Invitational T20 League at the R Premadasa Stadium commencing 7:30 p.m. today.

The two teams finished one-two at the end of the round robin league stage well ahead of their other two rivals SLC Greys and SLC Greens.

If the final round robin league match between Reds and Blues is anything to go by, the star-studded Reds are heavily favoured to win. On that occasion Reds triumphed over the Blues by 33 runs to head the standings pushing Blues to second spot on the net run rate. But what makes this final so special is that it will see at least 14 Sri Lankan caps from both teams in action.

On form Reds led by Kusal Mendis look the favourites to win the final and collect the cash award of Rs. 1 million. After a slow beginning the national players in the Reds team started to perform when it mattered. With the captain leading from the front with a league best of 86, Reds showed they have the firepower to lift their game when the chips are down.

From 53-3 in the eighth over, Reds ended up making the league’s highest total – 178-4 thanks largely to the 125-run stand between Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga whose 69* and two wickets for 18 runs won him the Player of the Match award.

The Blues had their work cut out when the Reds bowlers pegged them down to a total of 145-6 with some accurate bowling that stifled their run rate to a great extent.

Fluent strokeplayers like Blues acting skipper Dhananjaya de Silva and Sadeera Samarawickrama and hard hitters like Lahiru Udara and Ashen Bandara hardly got to free their arms against the likes of Asitha Fernando, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage – all of whom bowled at an economy rate less than seven.

The Blues of course were without their captain Charith Asalanka ruled out of the league after being tested COVID-19 positive a day before the match. They will be somewhat weakened in their batting with the absence of Asalanka as well as Danushka Gunathilaka who was down with a flu and played in only one match. They will also miss fast bowler Kasun Rajitha who fell heavily on his left shoulder while fielding on Saturday. All three players have been sent home and are not part of the squad.

If Blues hope to break the shackles of the Reds’ bowlers someone will have to be bold enough to take on their bowling and play fearless cricket despite a weak batting line-up. Also, the Blues’ bowling looks fragile and will have to somehow find a way to keep the strong Reds’ batting down to a decent score which they are capable of overhauling.

How the Blues perform and the brand of cricket they produce will make this final a worthy one. What more with the league being used as a forerunner to select the team for the Asia Cup in the UAE and this being the final match to catch the selectors’ eye, there’s bound to be some eye-catching performances with so many national players in the fray.

The Runners-Up will receive Rs. 750,000, and individual prizes include Rs. 250,000 to the Player of the Tournament and Rs. 150,000 each for Best Batsman of the Tournament and Best Bowler of the Tournament.