Tag: Colombo Strikers

COLOMBO: Defending champions Kandy Falcons secured a narrow two-wicket victory over Colombo Strikers in a tense Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 Eliminator here at R Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.

The Falcons chased down the 160-run target on the fourth delivery of the penultimate over when Ramesh Mendis struck Dunith Wellalage for a four.

But the defending champions had to make hard yards in achieving the total as they lost eight wickets in the process.

The Falcons, after getting off to a dismal start, kept losing wickets at an alarming rate and were consequently reduced to 83/6 in 10.2 overs.

However, a fighting partnership between Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka pulled the holders out of trouble and in touching distance of the victory.

The duo added an important 69 runs amid their seventh-wicket partnership that lasted with Shanaka’s dismissal on the last delivery of the 17th over.

Shanaka scored a brisk 39 off 21 deliveries, peppered with four fours and two sixes.

Mendis followed suit on the next delivery as he was cleaned up by Matheesha Pathirana, briefly after amassing his half-century.

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He remained the top-scorer for the Falcons with a 36-ball 54, including three fours and as many sixes.

Binura Fernando and Pathirana took three wickets each for the Strikers while Shadab Khan and Isitha Wijesundara made one scalp each.

The Strikers, after being put into bat first, could register 159/8 on the board in their 20 overs despite Sadeera Samarawickrama’s half-century.

Samarawickrama took the reigns of Strikers’ batting expedition after coming out to bat in the sixth over with his side reeling at 42/3.

He waged a lone battle with a gutsy 62 off 45 deliveries until his departure in the final over.

Besides him, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (30) and Wellalage (28) made significant contributions.

Mohammad Hasnain was the star with the ball for the Falcons, picking up three wickets for 24 while skipper Wanindu Hasaranga claimed two wickets.

Defending champions Kandy Falcons will now take on Jaffna Kings in Qualifier 2 of the LPL 2024 in a bid to face Galle Marvels in the final on Sunday.

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COLOMBO: A combined bowling effort led Dambulla Sixers to defend a low total against home side Colombo Strikers in the 20th match of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 here on Tuesday.

Despite the 28-run victory, the Sixers crashed out of the playoffs race as they finished at the bottom with six points in eight matches.

Meanwhile, defending champions Kandy Falcons, who also boast alike record in the ongoing tournament, advanced into the next stage of the LPL 2024, owing to a superior net run rate.

Put into bat first, Dambulla Sixers recovered from a disastrous start to register 123 runs on the board.

The Sixers had lost half of their side inside eight overs with just 38 runs on the board.

Following the slump, Mohammad Nabi joined forces with Chamindu Wickramasinghe and launched an astounding recovery.

The duo batted sensibly and added 62 runs for the sixth wicket before Binura Fernando dismissed Nabi in the 16th over.

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The veteran all-rounder remained the top-scorer for the Sixers with a 33-ball 40, laced up with four fours and two sixes.

Wickramasinghe soon followed in his senior’s footsteps and perished in the 18th over after scoring an important 26 off 29 deliveries.

Fernando led the bowling charge for the Strikers with 3/15, followed by Matheesha Pathirana and Dunith Wellalage, picking up two wickets each.

Chasing a modest 124, the Sixers’ batting unit unfolded on a paltry 95 despite skipper Thisara Perera’s fighting knock.

Perera waged a lone battle after coming out to bat at No.7 with the Strikers reeling at 48/5.

He scored a gutsy 30 off 31 deliveries with the help of one four and three sixes and was the last batter to be dismissed.

Nuwan Pradeep was the star with the ball for the Sixers with his three wickets while Chamindu Wickramasinghe bagged two.

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COLOMBO: Matheesha Pathirana returned career-best bowling figures of 4/20 and powered Colombo Strikers to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Galle Marvels in the 19th match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 here on Monday.

Put into bat first, Galle Marvels could post 138 runs on the board despite Tim Seifert’s anchoring 44-run knock.

The Marvels, at one stage, were 93/3 before running into a disastrous collapse, mainly triggered by Pathirana, who took four wickets in the process.

Seifert remained the top-scorer for the Marvels with a 38-ball 44 which featured three fours and two sixes while Bhanuka Rajapaksa made a quickfire 35 off 15 balls, laced up with one four and four sixes.

The duo recorded the highest partnership for the Marvels when they added a quick 41 runs for the fourth wicket.

Matheesha Pathirana was the star with the ball for the Strikers while Shadab Khan and Dunith Wellalage contributed significantly with two wickets each.

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In response, the Strikers comfortably chased down the 139-run target for the loss of just three wickets and 10 balls to spare, thanks to Muhammad Waseem’s half-century.

The home side, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost Angelo Perera (11) in the second over with just 14 runs on the board.

Waseem then anchored the run chase with the sensible knock, which lasted in the 15th over.

He top-scored for the Strikers with a 44-ball 50, peppered with four fours and two sixes.

Glenn Phillips then partnered with Sadeera Samarawickrama and made sure there were no more hiccups in the modest run chase.

Phillips scored an unbeaten 31 off 32 while Samarawickrama made 15 not out.

For the Marvels, Maheesh Theekshana, Isuru Udana and Sahan Arachchige took one wicket apiece.

The seven-wicket victory strengthened Colombo Strikers’ grip at the third spot in the LPL 2024 standings with eight points in seven matches while Galle Marvels remained at the top with 10 points after eight outings.

READ: All-round Hasaranga leads Falcons to massive victory over Sixers

DAMBULLA: Rilee Rossouw’s unbeaten century led Jaffna Kings to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Colombo Strikers in the 13th match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 here at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a 189-run target, the Kings comfortably marched to the victory for the loss of just three wickets and nine balls to spare.

The Kings, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost both their openers Pathum Nissanka (6) and Kusal Mendis (5) inside five overs with just 30 runs on the board.

Rossouw then turned the tide in the Kings’ favour with a belligerent knock which featured 12 fours and six sixes.

He was involved in a match-defining 120-run partnership with Avishka Fernando, who supported him brilliantly with a brisk half-century.

Fernando scored 58 off 35 deliveries, peppered with seven fours and two sixes before walking back to the pavilion in the 15th over.

Rilee Rossouw then put together a one-sided partnership with skipper Charith Assalanka (11*) and sealed the deal for the Kings in the penultimate over.

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He top-scored for the Kings with an unbeaten 108 off just 50 balls.

Shadab Khan, Taskin Ahmed and Dunith Wellalage could pick up a wicket apiece for the Strikers.

Earlier after being put into bat first, the Strikers registered a decent total of 188/8, mainly due to the efforts of their top-order batters.

Leading the way was in-form Glenn Phillips with a well-crafted half-century. He top-scored for the Strikers with a 32-ball 58, laced up with six fours and three sixes.

Besides him, openers Angelo Perera (34) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27) made notable contributions.

Azmatullah Omarzai and Asitha Fernando led the bowling charge for the Kings with two wickets. Tabraiz Shamsi, Fabian Allen and Pramod Madushan, on the other hand, made one scalp each.

The seven-wicket victory strengthened Jaffna Kings’ hold at the summit of the LPL 2024 standings with eight points in six matches while Colombo Strikers remained third with four points in five matches.

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DAMBULLA: Reeza Hendricks and Kusal Perera scored half-centuries to steer Dambulla Sixers to an eight-victory against Colombo Strikers in a high-scoring Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 clash here on Sunday.

Set to chase 186, Dambulla Sixers achieved the target in 17.5 overs to register their first win in the LPL 2024.

Hendricks and Perera set the tone for Dambulla Sixers with their belligerent stroke play, scoring 63 runs in the first six overs.

Perera completed his half-century in 33 balls while Hendricks took 34 balls to reach the milestone.

However, Taskin Ahmed removed both batters in three balls to break the 154-run opening pair.

Perera top-scored with 80 runs from 50 balls, with the help of eight boundaries and four sixes, while Hendricks struck 54 off 39.

With 31 remaining off 30 balls, Mark Chapman (23*) took charge and finished the game with three sixes off Matheesha Pathirana in the 18th over.

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Earlier Colombo Striekrs’ openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Angelo Perera also gave a quick start with a 73-run partnership in 51 balls before the latter got run out.

Angelo Perera departed after scoring 41 off 27 with six boundaries and one six. Meanwhile, Gurbaz (36) fell prey to Dushan Hemantha in the 11th over with 87 runs on the board.

The Strikers soon slipped to 125-5 before Glenn Phillips and Chamika Karunaratne added 59 runs in 25 balls for the sixth wicket.

Phillips scored 52 off 36 before falling on the penultimate ball of the match, while Karunaratne remained unbeaten at 27 off 12 as Colombo Strikers scored 185-6 in their 20 overs.

Nuwan Pradeep and Mohammad Nabi claimed two wickets each for Dambulla Sixers.

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PALLEKELE: Isuru Udana scored a quick-fire half-century, followed by two wickets to lead Galle Marvels to a narrow victory against Colombo Strikers in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 clash here on Wednesday.

Galle Marvels, while defending 179, removed opening batter Shevon Daniel (7) in the third over. Muhammad Waseem joined Rahmanullah Gurbaz and scored 16 off 9 before falling Maheesh Theekshana.

Meanwhile, Gurbaz, who scored a 17-ball 29, was castled by Zahoor Khan on the last ball of the powerplay with 57 runs on the board.

Glenn Phillips (26) then added 24 and 25 runs with Sadeera Samarawickrama (16) and Thisara Perera (18) respectively to keep his side in the hunt.

However, Galle Marvels’ bowler kept picking wickets at regular intervals to keep things under control.

Dunith Wellalage came out to bat with 63 required off 33 and he struck two boundaries off his first two balls off Sahan Arachchige.

He waged a lone war and played a quick 45-run knock from 26 balls with the help of five boundaries and two sixes before falling on the final ball of the innings, thus losing by seven runs.

Udana bowled the final over, defending 11 runs and returning with bowling figures of 2-34. Meanwhile, Arachchige and Theekshana also claimed two wickets each.

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Earlier, Niroshan Dickwella gave Galle Marvels a flying start with a one-sided opening partnership of 71 runs with Alex Hales (14).

However, they soon slipped to 77-3 as Binura Fernando removed Hales, while Dickwella fell prey to Shadab Khan after scoring an 18-ball 50 with six boundaries and three sixes.

Shadab Khan dismissed Janith Liyanage (2) and Tim Seifert (12) in his next over to reduce Galle Marvels to 86-5.

Arachchige and Udana joined hands after another wicket to construct a 79-run stand for the seventh wicket.

They pushed the team’s total to 173 before Matheesha Pathirana sent Arachchige back after he had scored 35 off 27.

Udana top-scored with 52 runs from 34 balls with five boundaries and three sixes. Fernando picked the wicket of Udana, followed by a run-out and Zahoor Khan’s wicket to bundle the Marvels at 179 in 20 overs.

Shadab Khan topped the wicket-takers’ chart with four wickets, while Fernando claimed three.

Galle Marvels solidified their position at the top of the LPL 2024 points table with two victories in as many games, while Colombo Strikers are sitting in the second position.

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PALLEKELE: Shadab Khan decimated Kandy Falcons with a hat-trick and led Colombo Strikers to a thumping 51-run victory in the third match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 here on Tuesday.

The Falcons were on course to chase down the 199-run target as they were 140/5 in 14 overs with skipper Wanindu Hasaranga at the crease.

But Shadab Khan turned the game on its head with a hat-trick as the Falcons were reduced to 146/8 at the end of the 15th over.

Dunith Wellalage, who was equally exceptional, took two wickets in the next over to take the Strikers home.

Both Shadab and Wellalage bagged four wickets each while Glenn Phillips and Binura Fernando chipped in with a wicket apiece as Colombo Strikers booked Kandy Falcons on 147 to kick off their LPL 2024 with a victory.

In-form batter Dinesh Chandimal once again top-scored for the Falcons as he scored 38 off 26 deliveries.

Besides him, skipper Hasaranga (25), Angelo Mathews (25) and Andre Fletcher (24) made notable contributions while the rest of the Falcons’ batters failed to make it into the double figures.

Put into bat first, the Strikers registered a massive total of 198/7 on the board, courtesy of a combined effort from their batters.

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Leading the way was wicketkeeper batter Sadeera Samarawickrama, who played a blazing knock of 48, coming off on 26 balls with the help of seven fours and a six.

Samarawickrama was supported in the act by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) international Muhammad Waseem as together they raised a quickfire 78-run partnership for the third wicket.

Waseem scored an 18-ball 32, peppered with two fours and two sixes.

Thisara Perera (38 off 30) and Shadab Khan (20 off 17) played anchoring knocks before Chamika Karunaratne bolstered the total with late fireworks.

Karunaratne smashed two fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 25 off 10.

For the Falcons, Hasaranga and Kasun Rajitha picked two wickets each while Dasun Shanaka, Dushmantha Chameera and Agha Salman made one scalp apiece.

The resounding 51-run victory took Colombo Strikers to the top of the LPL 2024 standings with two points while Kandy Falcons remained third with as many points.

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South African left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi has defended Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who is often criticised for his performance against left-arm spinners.

Tabraiz Shamsi in a recent interview showered praises on Babar Azam for averaging fifty in international cricket, while being labelled as weak.

“Well if people are saying that he [Babar] is weak and he’s averaging fifty, I wouldn’t like to see him when he’s not weak,” he said.

He called Babar Azam a ‘world-class player’ and stressed the fact that maintaining an average of fifty is not an easy feat in international cricket.

“He’s a world-class player, it’s not a joke averaging fifty in International cricket, so I think those kinds of things that people are saying it’s uncalled for,” Shamsi said.

He further added: “He’s obviously a class player and yeah at any given day any bowler can get any batsman out, and at any given day any batsman can make a hundred, so anybody that is playing at that level is very good, so I think we need to appreciate that.”

Recently, Afghaistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is playing for Jaffna Kings in the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL), has also voiced the same kind of sentiments for Babar Azam.

“Babar is the favourite player of most of the young fans, even for me. I like the way he bats, everyone likes his way of batting, and I can say he is a legend right now,” he said.

Notably, Babar Azam, who is currently representing Colombo Strikers in the LPL, has been in stellar form in the tournament. He is the highest run-scorer in the tournament, amassing 235 runs in five games, maintaining an impressive average of 47.00 and strike rate of 143.29.

He showed his impressive batting prowess in his innings of 104 off 59 deliveries against Tabraiz Shamsi’s Galle Titans. Babar’s remarkable century was laced with eight fours and five sixes, at a strike rate of 176.27.

Meanwhile, Tabraiz Shamsi has managed to pick up five wickets in as many games, at an average of 31.40.

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PALLEKELE: A collective effort from the bowlers, followed by Nishan Madushka’s 46-run knock, propelled Jaffna Kings to thump Colombo Strikers by six wickets in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) on Tuesday.

Contrary to the tradition in the LPL 2023, Colombo Strikers’ captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first.

Pathum Nissanka and Babar Azam, who scored a hundred in the last game, started things on a high with a solid opening partnership of 57 runs in seven overs, before the former fell prey to Wellalage. Nissanka’s 36 off 27 was laced with seven boundaries.

Babar Azam soon followed him as he was caught by David Miller off Madushanka at backward point, after scoring 24 off 21 balls. Nuwanidu Fernando (2) also fell in the same over, thanks to a brilliant catch by Maheesh Theekshana at deep square leg.

Wellalage castled Iftikhar Ahmed (2) in the next over, who was playing his first game of LPL, after leading Surrey Jaguars to the final of the recently concluded GT20 Canada.

Lahiru Udara and Mohammad Nawaz, then knitted a brief partnership of 30 runs before Udara holed one back to Theekshana. He scored a cautious 29 off 25 with the help of two boundaries and one six.

Nawaz and Chamika Karunaratne’s 40-run stand for the sixth wicket saw the Strikers’ score reach 139 before Nawaz departed in the 19th over. He scored 27 runs off 21 deliveries.

Karunaratne, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 21 and led the Strikers to finish at 146/8 in 20 overs.

Dunith Wellalage and Dilshan Madushanka spearheaded Jaffna Kings’ bowling charge, taking two wickets each,  while Theekshana, Thushara and Shoaib Malik chipped in with one wicket each.

The Kings had a flying start to the chase, as they quickly raced to 50 runs in the fifth over.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the core aggressor of the opening stand as he scored 39 runs off 21 balls at a strike rate of 185 before falling to Pathirana in the sixth over. His innings featured three boundaries and as many sixes.

Gurbaz’s opening partner Dilshan Madushanka, who had a cautious start to his knock as he anchored amid Gurbaz’s onslaught, shifted gears after the former’s dismissal.

He partnered with Charith Asalanka (12) for a 39-run partnership, while added 30 runs for the third wicket with captain Thisara Perera (17).

With Madushka and Perera firm on the crease, it appeared to be a straightforward pursuit for the Kings, requiring 20 runs off eight overs but Naseem Shah caused a stir as he dismissed both set batters in his third over.

Madushka top-scored with 46 off 32 deliveries, courtesy of three boundaries and three sixes.

Towhid Hridoy gave the final touch to an already illustrated run-chase as he finished the game with a four off Naseem to guide Jaffna Kings to a dominant six-wicket win. He scored 14 runs off nine balls with the help of three boundaries.

Naseem picked two wickets for Strikers, while Pathirana and Sandakan contributed with one wicket each.

Jaffna Kings will now face B-Love Kandy on August 12 in the 15th match of the LPL, while Colombo Strikers will face Dambulla Aura in the 16th game on the same day.

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PALLEKELE: Nuwanidu Fernando’s unbeaten half-century failed to trump Kusal Mendis’s 46-ball 87 as Dambulla Aura edged Colombo Strikers by 10 runs in the eighth match of the ongoing Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023.

In a high-scoring game, Colombo Strikers fell 10 runs short of the 193-run target. They needed 31 runs off the final over but managed to score only 20.

Nuwanidu Fernando remained not out at 56 off 39 deliveries, while his partner Chamika Karunaratne scored 20 off seven balls. Noor Ahmed picked two wickets, while Hayden Kerr and Dhananjaya de Silva picked one wicket each.

After winning the toss, Colombo Strikers opted to bowl first, they inflicted early damage on Dambulla Aura in the form of Avishka Fernando’s wicket.

However, what followed that wicket was a clinical partnership between captain Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama. They added 120 runs for the second wicket.

Kusal Mendis scored 87 off 46 before falling to Naseem Shah, while Samarawickrama scored 59 runs from 35 balls as both fell in successive overs.

The Aura appeared to be in complete control to breach the 200-run landmark but a tight death bowling from Colombo Strikers restricted them to 192/6.

Matheesha Pathirana picked three wickets, while Naseem Shah bagged two wickets. Chamika Karunaratne gave 55 for his single wicket, whereas, Mohammad Nawaz conceded 37 runs off his three overs without any wicket.

Colombo Strikers got off to a poor start to the run chase as they lost their captain Niroshan Dickwella early with just 17 runs on the board.

Babar Azam was then joined by Pathum Nissanka and the pair knitted an anchoring 62-run partnership for the second wicket which lasted when the former was trapped leg-before wicket by Noor Ahmad.

He smashed seven boundaries amid his 24-ball 41.

Nissanka, who could contribute a mere 19 amid his second-wicket stand with Babar, failed to switch gears and finally perished in the 13th over.

He scored a cautious 22 off 28 deliveries, hitting one boundary and a six.

Following his departure, Fernando glimmered a ray of hope for the Strikers to pull off the run chase with belligerent hitting but his efforts came up as his side succumbed to a 10-run defeat.

His unbeaten 56-run knock featured four boundaries and as many sixes.

Noor Ahmad led the bowling attack for the Aura with 2/34 followed by Dhananjaya de Silva and Hayden Kerr picking up one wicket apiece.

Dambulla Aura will face Jaffna Kings in their next LPL game, while Colombo Strikers will battle against Galle Titans. Both games will be played on August 7.

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