COLOMBO: Pathum Nissanka’s anchoring half-century, followed by a combined bowling effort from the bowlers led Colombo Strikers to a narrow nine-run victory over B-Love Kandy and remained in contention to reach the Lanka Premier League (LPL) playoffs.
Opting to bat first, the Strikers posted a commendable total of 169/9 on the board, thanks to a sensible half-century by Pathum Nissanka and Nipun Dhananjaya’s brisk 40-run knock.
Earlier, the home side got off to a poor start as they lost two quick wickets inside the powerplay as star batter Babar Azam (9) and Lahiru Udara (1) perished cheaply.
With the home side reeling at 28/2 in 4.1 Overs, Nissanka was joined by Dhananjaya and the pair knitted an anchoring 69-run partnership for the third wicket.
The pair appeared in complete control as they scored at a brisk rate before Chaturanga de Silva dismissed Dhananjaya in the 12th over.
The left-handed batter smashed one boundary and three sixes on his way to a 29-ball 40.
Meanwhile, Nissanka stood his ground firm and notched up another vital partnership for the Strikers as he added 30 runs for the fourth wicket with Mohammad Nawaz before finally perishing in the 16th over soon after amassing his gutsy half-century.
He top-scored for the Strikers with a 38-ball 51 which featured four boundaries and a six.
Following his departure, Mohammad Nawaz (21), Chamika Karunaratne (17) and Naseem Shah (15) made important contributions at the death to bolster their team’s total.
For B-Love Kandy, Angelo Mathews, Isuru Udana and Wanindu Hasaranga bagged two wickets each while de Silva and Nuwan Pradeep picked one apiece.
Set to chase 170, B-Love Kandy, placed second in the LPL 2023 standings, fell just nine runs short as they could accumulate 160/8 despite Hasaranga and Asif Ali’s blitz.
The visitors, after losing early wickets, batted cautiously which resulted in the required run rate mounting.
B-Love Kandy were 70/4 halfway through despite a brisk 40-run knock by their skipper Hasaranga. The all-rounder conceded just 21 balls and struck six boundaries and a six.
Following his departure, B-Love Kandy once again went into defensive mode and slipped to 92/5 in 13 overs when Asif came out to bat.
The hard-hitting batter glimmered a ray of hope for B-Love Kandy with a quickfire cameo but his effort was not enough to steer his side to glory.
He smashed two boundaries and three sixes amid his entertaining 33-run cameo from just 15 deliveries before perishing in the 18th over.
B-Love Kandy then needed 26 runs off the last two overs with three wickets in hand but they lacked the firepower to score at a rapid pace after Asif’s dismissal.
Colombo Strikers’ bowlers held their nerves calm to lead their side to a close victory over B-Love Kandy.
Jeffrey Vandersay and Matheesha Pathirana led the bowling attack for the Strikers with two wickets each while Chamika Karunaratne, Iftikhar Ahmed and Naseem Shah had one each to their name.
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