COLOMBO: Shadab Khan took a four-wicket haul before Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s half-century to power Colombo Strikers to a thumping victory over Jaffna Kings in a one-sided Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 clash here at R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.
The home team restricted Jaffna Kings to a meagre 109-9 in the first innings and successfully chased it in only 9.5 overs courtesy of Gurbaz’s unbeaten partnership with Muhammad Waseem.
Gurbaz and Waseem joined hands after the wicket of Angelo Perera (16) with 25 runs on the board.
They struck an unbeaten 85-run partnership from 45 balls to steer Colombo Strikers to a nine-wicket victory, with Waseem finishing the game in style with a six off Eshan Malinga.
Gurbaz scored 57 runs from 33 balls with the help of four boundaries and four sixes, while Waseem struck 35 off 18, laced with two fours and three sixes.
Pramod Madushan picked the sole wicket for Jaffna Kings.
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Earlier, the visitors had a disastrous start to their innings after being invited to bat as they slipped to 29-3 in 4.4 overs.
Avishka Fernando (11) and skipper Charith Asalanka (13) tried to show some resistance before Shadab Khan removed the latter in the seventh over.
Fernando and Fabian Allen fell prey to Khan on back-to-back deliveries before Gurbaz stumped Dhananjaya de Silva in the next over to complete the leg-spinner’s four-fer.
Vijayakanth Viyaskanth played an unbeaten cameo, supported by Madushan (10) and Malinga (15) to drag the team’s total to 109-9 in 20 overs.
Viyaskanth top-scored with a scratchy 25 off 34 balls which featured two boundaries.
Other than Khan’s four-fer, Binura Fernando was the notable wicket-taker for Colombo Strikesr with 2-24, while Thisara Perera, Matheesha Pathirana and Isitha Wijesundara bagged one each.
Jaffna Kings lost the top-spot in the LPL 2024 as their net run-rate decreased, while the Strikers are comfortably sitting at third with six points.
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