SHARJAH: Sri Lanka outclassed Kuwait in both departments; crushing the side with a huge 274 runs to start their Under-19 Asia Cup with a victory.
In the only Group-B match, Sri Lankan batters started well; scoring 323/5 in the first inning, then bowled out their opposition for a mere 49 runs.
Batting first, Sri Lankan openers provided a solid start to the innings. The duo added a 91-runs partnership. Both the openers, Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Shevon Daniel scored 54 each.
Pawan Pathiraja and Ranuda Somarathne, were even more impressive. The pair added a terrific 114-runs partnership to provide their side even more control. Somarathne scored 60 off 57 balls, while Pathiraja, top-scored with an astonishing 86 off 72 balls, laced with 11 boundaries.
With significant contributions from the rest of their batters, Sri Lanka finished with a massive total of 323/5 in their allotted 50 overs.
For Kuwait, Zesshan Azeem and Habier Ali, each bagged two wickets. Abdullah Zaheer, on the other hand, claimed one wicket.
Chasing a mammoth, Kuwait had a decent start of their innings; losing their first wicket for 31. But, the side then, lost their remaining nine wickets for a skimpy 18 runs; bowling out for a paltry 49. Jude Saldanha scored 12 off 32 balls, followed by the top-scorer Meet Bhasvar, who scored 25 off 24 balls.
For the Lions, Dunith Wellalage starred; claiming four wickets for just two runs, while Sadisha Rajapaksa bagged three wickets. Matheesha Pathirana, on the other hand, took two wickets.
