Zahoor Khan first to perform hat-trick in Lanka T10 Super League

Mohammad Shahzad of Hambantota Bangla Tigers scored the second fastest 50 off 18 balls 

• Jaffna Titans first team to qualify for knockout stage

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

With the bad weather making way for bright sunshine at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium yesterday, the inaugural edition of the Lanka T10 Super League saw the first hat-trick performed in the tournament and dominant Jaffna Titans, led by Namibian all-rounder David Wiese, becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout stage.

In the first game for the day, former white-ball skipper Dasun Shanaka led Hambantota Bangla Tigers from the front with a super all-round performance that saw his team beat Kandy Bolts by 47 runs.

Mohammad Shahzad set the tone for Hambantota with the second fastest 50 of the tournament, reaching it off 18 balls. He was dismissed soon afterwards for 52, which included 7 fours and 3 sixes.

Shanaka with the late order provided the late spark to the innings, scoring a rapid 39* off 15 balls (2 fours, 4 sixes) that saw Hambantota score 80 runs off the last four overs to end with the highest total of the tournament so far – 163-6.

Shanaka was soon back in action when Kandy began their run chase, holding onto two good catches to dismiss George Munsey and Dinesh Chandimal, and then contributing with the ball by taking two wickets for 16 runs, to run away with the Player of the Match award. Kandy hardly matched Hambantota’s total, finishing on 116-9, with the major portion of the wickets being taken by ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake, who ended with figures of 4/10.

The UAE’s Pakistan-born fast bowler Zahoor Khan produced the first hat-trick of the tournament to enable Galle Marvels to defeat Colombo Jaguars by seven wickets in the second match.

Skipper Maheesh Theekshana set the tone for the game with the wickets of Jason Roy and Kamindu Mendis in the first over of the innings – both without scoring. The others followed the Captain, with Jeffrey Vandersay grabbing a couple and Zahoor Khan outstanding with his hat-trick in the final over of the Colombo innings to end with figures of 4/15. Zahoor’s hat-trick victims were all Sri Lankan players – Colombo skipper Angelo Mathews (caught), Sadeera Samarawickrama (bowled), and Matheesha Pathirana (bowled). Colombo ended on a disappointing 82-9.

Galle made light work of that target with openers Niroshan Dickwella (20 off 12 balls) and Alex Hales (38 off 18 balls) putting on a stand of 48 off 26 balls.

Jaffna Titans, the only unbeaten side in the tournament, waltzed into the knockout stage with an emphatic 53-run win against Nuwara Eliya Kings. The win was their fourth in five matches and gave them pole position with nine points.

Invited to bat first, Jaffna rattled off an imposing 153-4, riding on an 89-run stand between Charith Asalanka (33 off 17 balls) and Player of the Match Tom Abell (59 off 24 balls, 8 fours, 3 sixes).

Nuwara Eliya came up with a shoddy display of batting, scoring 100-8, with only Sri Lanka all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne reaching double figures with a plucky 58* off 26 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes) as Jaffna’s top three bowlers Nuwan Thushara, Pramod Madushan, and Dunith Wellalage waded into their batting, capturing seven wickets between them.

Results

• Hambantota Bangla Tigers beat Kandy Bolts by 47 runs

Hambantota Bangla Tigers 163-6 (10) (Mohammad Shazad 52, Dasun Shanaka 39*, Thisara Perera 2/26)

Kandy Bolts 116-9 (10) (Shehan Jayasuriya 23, Mohammed Shamaaz 25, Tharindu Rathnayake 4/10, Dasun Shanaka 2/16)

• Galle Marvels beat Colombo Jaguars by 7 wickets

Colombo Jaguars 82-9 (10) (Daniel Lawrence 22, Najibullah Zadran 26, Maheesh Theekshana 2/15, Zahoor Khan 4/15, Jeffrey Vandersay 2/10)

Galle Marvels 83-3 (7.1) (Niroshan Dickwella 20, Alex Hales 38, Kamindu Mendis 2/14)

• Jaffna Titans beat Nuwara Eliya Kings by 53 runs

Jaffna Titans 153-4 (10) (Charith Asalanka 33, Tom Abell 59, Chamika Karunaratne 2/34)

Nuwara Eliya Kings 100-8 (10) (Chamika Karunaratne 58*, Nuwan Thushara 2/5, Pramod Madushan 3/8, Dunith Wellalage 2/9) 

Dasun Shanaka took the Player of the Match award with a brilliant all-round performance

Tharindu Rathnayake put the screws on Kandy Bolts with a haul of four wickets

Charith Asalanka and Tom Abell put on 89 for the third wicket for Jaffna Titans