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SLC Greys qualify for final against SLC Greens in T20 League

There is something wrong somewhere with SLC Blues. They won all four tosses in their matches of the SLC T20 Super League but yet finished on the losing side on each occasion.

Yesterday at the SSC grounds was one such instance where they needed to win their final match to keep their chances of qualifying for a place in the final alive. They changed their captain with Pathum Nissanka taking over the reins from Dunith Wellalage and came up with their best batting performance of the tournament scoring 178-6. But yet for all it was still not good enough to bring a win as SLC Greys came up with a compelling batting display to surpass the total and win by 6 wickets with 17 balls to spare.

The win which was SLC Greys’ second in three matches put them in the final with table toppers SLC Greens to whom they lost their first round group game. Today SLC Greys get an opportunity to put that record right when they take on SLC Greens in what would be a dress rehearsal for Saturday’s final. SLC Greens led by Kamindu Mendis are unbeaten in the tournament with three wins out of three.

Two noteworthy partnerships made up SLC Blues’ innings. Nissanka (30 off 15 balls, 3 fours, 2 sixes) and Vishen Halambage (32 off 25 balls, 3 sixes) got their innings underway with a partnership of 60 off 34 balls. But they lost their way in the middle losing five wickets for 42, when Dasun Shanaka was joined by Ravindu Fernando and the two lifted the spirits of the team with a stand of 76 off 39 balls. Shanaka struck 3 fours, and 2 sixes in his knock of 35* off 19 balls, while Fernando was more proactive racing to 41 off 24 balls (5 fours, 1 six) before being run out off the last ball of the innings. While the seamers took a hammering it was the spinners Charith Asalanka, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth and Sahan Arachchige who kept the batters in check picking up a wicket each and conceding only 36 runs off the 8 overs they bowled collectively.

On a good batting surface, SLC Blues’ total looked under-par and so it proved when SLC Greys began their run chase. Niroshan Dickwella (21 off 11 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) with his unorthodox stroke play and Dinesh Chandimal (44 off 25 balls, 5 fours, 2 sixes) batting with great composure gave SLC Greys the start they wanted to launch their innings by posting 55 off 25 balls for the first wicket.

Even at 80-3 SLC Greys were rattling along at over 10 runs an over. Nuwanidu Fernando and Asalanka once more proved a thorn in the SLC Blues side when they stitched together a stand of 84 off 51 balls that put the result beyond doubt. Fernando, the best batter in the tournament with 142 runs and a strike rate of 129, scored his second half-century – an unbeaten 50 off 34 balls (4 fours, 1 six), batting at No. 4, a position which the national selectors are looking for someone to fill. His two half-centuries both unbeaten knocks (70 and 50) against the same opposition, were scored in match winning partnerships with his captain Asalanka whose innings of 45 came off 28 balls (2 fours, 3 sixes).

Scores:

SLC Blues 178-6 (20) (Pathum Nissanka 30, Vishen Halambage 32, Nishan Madushka 23, Dasun Shanaka 35*, Ravindu Fernando 41, Garuka Sanketh 2/46)

SLC Greys 179-4 (17.1) (Dinesh Chandimal 44, Niroshan Dickwella 21, Nuwanidu Fernando 50*, Charith Asalanka 45, Matheesha Pathirana 2/32)

Source: DailyFT