Wayamba knock Ruhuna out of SLPL

Ruhuna Royals crashed out of the SLPL with a 14-run loss to Wayamba United, after Dinesh Chandimal shook off a poor run of form with a 54-ball 75. The loss means Nagenahira Nagas will join the three teams already qualified for the semi finals, and Nagenahira’s match tomorrow night against Uva Next will simply decide who will face top-placed Wayamba in the semis. 



Chandimal played in Tamim Iqbal’s slipstream in the opening overs, as Tamim supplied the start Wayamba had grown accustomed to when Kamran Akmal was still in the country. Tamim hit three sixes and two fours in his 36, and the pair took a particular liking to Wahab Riaz, whose second over disappeared for 19.

Chandimal was fortunate early in his knock, edging past the keeper twice, but grew more confident as the booming drives and thrashed cuts returned. Chandimal rarely attacked good length, but was quick to punish short deliveries as he regularly beat the sweeper on the on-side. He fell in the sixteenth over with his side eyeing a score in excess of 170, at 132 for 4, but three quick wickets and a terrific final over from Riaz allowed Wayamba merely a challenging total, rather than an intimidating one. 



Aaron Finch and Daniel Harris began the chase at a canter, making 21 from the first two overs, but Ruhuna ran aground shortly after, as they lost six wickets for 34 in the next seven overs. Isuru Udana and Brad Hogg took one wicket apiece, while Abdul Razzak recovered from a poor first over to nab Chamara Silva and Mohammad Ashraful in his next two.

Twenty-year-old medium pace bowler Chathuranga Kumara embellished an already striking SLPL campaign with a double strike in his first over, and a miserly four over spell, before Brad Hogg contributed four cheap overs of his own. 

 Lahiru Thirimanne remained not out on 40, having taken apart Akila Dananjaya, who collected his first poor figures of the tournament, but Ruhuna could not find a batsman who could stay with Thirimanne to make any meaningful charge on the target.

 – Pix by Shantha Ratnayake