Mahela’s Wayamba knocked out as Oram, Chanderpaul guide Uva Next to SLPL finals

Jacob Oram may now see himself as a bowling specialist, but he reclaimed the devastating batting form of old as he bludgeoned 41 from 17 balls to lift Uva Next to 171 for 6 which was enough to beat Sri Lanka Captain-led Wayamba United by 20 runs in the SLPL’s first semi-final played last night at Kettarama.

Wayamba in reply managed to score only 151 within the 20 overs having lost eight wickets.

Azhar Mahmood played a fighting knock of 75 not out from 47 balls with four 6s and eight 4s.He and  bowler Isuru Udana who scored 42 of 38 balls during their partnership lifted hopes of Wayamba temporarily.

Earlier on Captain Mahela was out for 1 and in-form Tamim Iqbal managed only 11 whilst the top order collapsed miserably. Man of the match Oram excelled in his bowling too taking e wickets for 16 runs. Umar Gul and Senanayake took two wickets each.

For Uva Shivnarine Chanderpaul provided the steady presence at the other end, finishing with a string of late boundaries to finsih with an unbeaten 50. Uva had been struggling at 89 for 5 from 13.5 overs, before Oram and Chanderpaul combined to reap 56 runs from the next 24 balls, transforming what threatened to be a mediocre total into a challenging one.

 The first of Oram’s sixes came, stunningly from a leading edge. He charged Akila Dananjaya and swung across the line, and although the ball spun in the opposite direction to the one he’d anticipated, the heave had enough power to carry it over the ropes at long off. Oram didn’t misread Brad Hogg in the next over though, when he clobbered him high over midwicket for six, nor was he fooled by two consecutive slower balls from Azhar Mahmood that he blasted straight. His last six was the best of the lot. The lofted cover drive had once been a hallmark of Oram’s most destructive innings, and he reprised it once more, to send the ball into the Premadasa terraces. He should have sent the next ball, a knee-high full toss, into the night as well, but managed to find the backward point fielder with a half-hearted stroke instead.

Dilshan Munaweera made another start for Uva, hitting five fours - all in the arc between third man and cover - in his 23, but again was unable to consolidate his start, missing a straight one from Abdul Razzak as he headed across the line. Razzak was impressive in his four over spell, as he exploited the lively Premadasa surface to induce movement off the seam, away from the right hander. He removed Thilina Kandamby as well, and finished with 2 wickets for 17 runs.

Chanderpaul rarely looked for boundaries for much of his innings, collecting runs into the outfield instead. He had made only 26 from 30 balls at the end of the 18th over, but a productive finish allowed him to capitalise on the momentum Oram’s knock had earned, and two boundaries off the last two balls pushed the total beyond 170.