Sports
BRC dominate NCC as Bhanuka hits twin centuries
Seven matches of the Super 8s and Plate Championship of the Sri Lanka Cricket(SLC) Premier League Tier A Tournament concluded earlier this week. This was the second set of games after the Tournament resumed after a long break on the 10th of August due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Super 8s
Milinda Siriwardana fought a lone battle for Saracens SC, as he made sure his team secured vital first innings points over the favorites to win the tournament, CCC. After Kasun Rajitha’s five wicket burst restricted CCC to 142 in their 1st innings, Siriwardana Made 89 before following it up with 151 in the second innings as the match ended in a draw. Lasith Abeyratne made an unbeaten century for CCC in their second essay, while Rajitha finished with 9 wickets in the match.
Ragama CC who suffered an innings defeat a few days back at the hands of CCC, bounced back to beat Colts by 103 runs at the CCC ground in Colombo. Young left arm spinner Shashika Dulshan was the star of the game for Ragama CC, as he captured six first innings wickets to set up the game for his team. Akila Dananjaya bowling with a remodeled action captured 8 wickets in the match.
Two whirlwind knocks from BRC’s Bhanuka Rajapaksa against the formidable NCC, was the highlight of the drawn game in Katunayake. Rajapaksa hit 115 off just 82 balls in the 1st innings as BRC managed to secure 1st innings points, before following it up with a match saving century in the 2nd innings. Duvindu Tillakaratne, the tournament’s highest wicket taker with 56 scalps, also starred with a match bag of 13 wickets.
Ashan Randika hit a scintillating 133 off 84 balls, but it wasn’t enough as the soldiers were beaten by Chilaw Marians by 45 runs at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo. Nimesh Vimuthi’s 4/23 in the Army SC’s second innings sparked a dramatic collapse, as he also captured the key scalp of Randika.
Brief scores:
CCC vs Saracens SC
CCC 142 (40.4): Minod Bhanuka 92 (122), Kasun Rajitha 5/63, Saliya Saman 3/33 & 351/7d (81): Lasith Abeyratne 101* (170), Lahiru Madushanka 63 (81), Kasun Rajitha 4/84
Saracens SC 183 (49.3): Milinda Siriwardana 89 (88), Lahiru Gamage 5/29, Vishwa Fernando 3/37 & 283/6 (81): Milinda Siriwardena 151 (180), Pramod Maduwantha 54 (160), Vishwa Fernando 3/38
Ragama CC vs Colts CC
Ragama CC 258 (63): Saminda Fernando 73 (93), Nishan Madushka 57 (75), Akila Dhananjaya 4/24, Prabath Jayasuriya 3/76 & 220 (65.2): Roshen Silva 67 (111), Lahiru Thirimanne 63 (142), Prabath Jayasuriya 5/69, Akila Dhananjaya 4/44
Colts CC 163 (57.3): Santhush Gunathilaka 33 (80), Shashika Dulshan 6/45 & 212 (55.5): Sadeera Samarawickrama 69 (128), Avishka Fernando 44 (58), Kalhara Senaratne 3/28, Ishan Jayaratne 3/31, Amila Aponso 3/48
BRC vs NCC
BRC 316 (86.3): Bhanuka Rajapaksa 115 (82), Duvindu Tillakaratne 53 (108), Ashian Daniel 4/63, Lahiru Kumara 2/63 & 240 (58.5): Bhanuka Rajapaksa 110 (98), Lahiru Kumara 4/76, Dilesh Gunaratne 2/21, Chamika Karunaratne 2/37
NCC 275 (65.2): Chamika Karunaratne 93, Lahiru Udara 90, Duvindu Tillakaratne 6/63 & 227/9 Lahiru Udara 93(64), Duvindu Tillakaratne 7/55
Chilaw Marians CC vs SL Army SC
Chilaw Marians CC 269 (82.3): Shehan Jayasuriya 95 (147), Asela Gunaratne 3/37, Dushan Vimukthi 3/90 & 241 (63): Kasun Vidura 73* (106), Seekkuge Prasanne 6/101
SL Army SC 216 (70): Dinesh Chandimal 62 (99), Asela Gunaratne 43* (99), Asitha Fernando 4/71 & 249 (36.3): Ashan Randika 133 (84), Nimesh Vimukthi 4/23, Shehan Jayasuriya 4/66
Plate Championship
Praveen Jayawickrama’s 11 wickets in the match helped Moors SC topple a star studded Tamil Union side at Moratuwa. Sri Lanka all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva played out of his skin capturing 12 wickets in the match to go along with an unbeaten 95* in the 1st innings, but it was not enough to push his team to the finish line.
SSC continued to fall into deep waters as they were this time beaten by Lankan CC, who were well led by their in-form skipper Chanaka Ruwansiri. Following on from his century in the previous round against Negombo CC, Ruwansiri hit 165 overshadowing Dasun Shanaka’s century, as Lankan CC collected 1st innings points.
Table toppers in the Plate Championship after the previous round Negombo CC were pushed to 2nd place in the table, but not before they secured another comfortable 1st innings win over Baduraliya SC. Dilshan Munaweera was the star with the bat for Negombo top scoring with 91, while Upul Indrasiri captured 10 wickets in the match. Dushan Hemantha also hit a 2nd innings century for Baduraliya, as he made sure they avoided an outright loss.
Moors SC vs Tamil Union CAC
Moors SC 206 (71.2) Nipun Karunanayake 44 (100), Dinuka Dilshan 43 (108), Dhananjaya de Silva 7/59 & 171 (46.1)Pabasara Waduge 44 (43), Kavishka Anjula 43 (69), Ayana Siriwardena 42 (38), Dhanajaya de Silva 5/50
Tamil Union C&AC 178 (52) Dhananjaya de Silva 95* (104), Praveen Jayawickrama 5/53, Ramesh Mendis 3/39 & 155 (36.3) Suranga Lakmal 40 (20), Praveen Jayawickrama 6/91
SSC vs Lankan CC
SSC 332 (76.2) Dasun Shanaka 112 (144), Sammu Ashan 54 (86), Chanaka Ruwansiri 3/53, Keshan Wijerathne 3/93, Dunith Wellalage 3/97 & 226/4 (48) Sandun Weerakkody 67 (55), Nuwanindu Fernando 45 (71), Geeth Kumara 3/49
Lankan CC 375 Chanaka Ruwansiri 165(201), Geeth Kumara 60 (193), Kalana Perera 3/54, Jeffry Vandersay 5/117
Badureliya SC vs Negombo CC
Badureliya SC 267 (84.5) Dunith Jayathunga 57, Salinda Ushan 51, Damith Perera 43, Upul Indrasiri 5/65, Lakshitha Rasanjana 3/65 & 276 (69.1) Dushan Hemantha 115 (112), Dunith Jayathunga 48 (60), Upul Indrasiri 5/85, Lakshitha Rasanjana 5/97
Negombo CC 381 (105.2)
Dilshan Munaweera 91 (144), Madawa Warnapura 87 (141), Angelo Jayasinghe 66 (96), Roscoe Thattil 33(80), Dushan Hemantha 4/82, Buddika Sanjeewa 2/84
The first truly heavyweight clash of this expanded T20 World Cup format comes freighted with both history and subplots. A rematch of the 2010 World T20 final at Kensington Oval, the match pits Jos Buttler’s defending champions – who are aiming to become the first team to retain the trophy – against the Australian winning machine, victors at the 2021 edition and current world title-holders in Test and ODI cricket. And that’s before you throw in the Ashes for afters.
Already there is added pressure on England, after the rain in Bridgetown led to a share of the points in their opener against Scotland (and that having conceded 90 runs from 10 overs without taking a wicket in a tepid bowling display). Lose to their oldest rivals and it will leave their Super 8 prospects open to being waylaid by the perils of net run-rate calculations, or worse.
The Scotland match was the third abandonment in five suffered by England, after a rain-affected home series against Pakistan, which has clearly hampered their readiness for this campaign after almost six months without playing T20 together. It does not take much for a side to click in this format – and England looked in decent shape when they did get on the field against Pakistan – but Buttler will be anxious for things to go their way on Saturday, if only to avoid further questions referencing the team’s disastrous ODI World Cup defence last year.
Australia, under the laidback leadership of Mitchell Marsh would love nothing more than to add to the English sense of jeopardy – having helped bundle them out of the tournament in India on the way to taking the crown. Their head to head record is less impressive in T20 however, with England having won six of the last seven completed encounters, as well as that 2010 final.
Despite a wobble with the bat, Australia avoided mishap against Oman earlier in the week, the experience of David Warner and Marcus Stoinis shining through in difficult batting conditions. Surfaces in the Caribbean – not to mention those games staged in the USA – have already had teams scratching their heads; rather than the “slug-fest” England had prepared for, following a high-scoring tour of the Caribbean in December, it looks as if boxing smart may be the way to go.
Speaking of Warner, this could be the last time he faces up against England in national colours – and another match-winning contribution would likely reduce the chances of them meeting again in the knockouts. On the other side of the card is Jofra Archer, fresh from an emotional maiden outing at Kensington Oval and ready to take on Australia for the first time in any format since 2020. Can Mark Wood fire up England’s campaign, as he did during last summer’s Ashes? Will Pat Cummins be back to harass the old enemy once again? Seconds out, it’s almost time to rumble.
Cummins is set to return after being rested for the Oman game, which saw Mitchell Starc leave the field with cramp. Starc is understood to be fine and could keep his place – which would likely see Nathan Ellis miss out. Marsh is still not fit to bowl, with Australia likely to continue with the allrounder combination of Stoinis and Maxwell to give them cover.
Australia (probable XI): David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis/Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
The one change England may consider is Reece Topley coming in for Wood, with the expectation that there will be some rotation among the seamers through the course of the tournament.
England (probable XI): Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (capt & wk), Will Jacks, Jonny Bairstow, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley/Mark Wood
[Cricinfo]
Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.
To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.
The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.
Of course, it will take some doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily;Klassen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.
But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.
Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markam, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Ottneil Baartman, Anrich Nortje
Conditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.
Netherlands: Michael Levitt, Max O’Dowd, Vikramjit Singh, Sybrand Engelbrecht, Scott Edwards (capt, wk), Bas de Leede, Teja Nidamanuru, Logan van Beek, Tim Pringle, Paul van Meekeren, Vivian Kingma
[Cricinfo]
Nuwan Thushara’s last over brought Sri Lanka screaming back into the match,as he first bowled Rishad Hossain, and then nailed Taskin Ahmed in front of the stumps with a pinpoint swinging yorker. This left Bangladesh eight wickets down, with 12 runs still to get.
However, the experienced Mahmudullah was at the crease for Bangladesh, and despite some further nervy moments, pushed Bangladesh across the line off the last ball of the 19th over.
But this was a match chiefly decided by Bangladesh’s own outstanding bowling. Mustafizur Rahman was the best among them, using shorter lengths and his cutters efficiently, to claim figures of 3 for 17. Rishad Hossain’s three-for through the middle overs also kept Sri Lanka quiet.
Mustafizur was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s downward spiral through the middle overs, which culminated in a crash-and-burn end. Ultimately, their inability to find boundaries, or even rotate strike against good Bangladesh bowling resulted in their downfall. A score of 125 for 9 always seemed poor on a decent pitch, even if their bowlers made a match of it in the end.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 125 for 8 in 19 overs (Towhid Hridoy 40, Litton Das 36; Dhanajaya de Silva 1-11, Nuwan Thushara 4-18, Wanidu Hasaranga 2-32, Matheesha Pathirana 1-27) beat Sri Lanka124 for 9 in 20 overs (Pathum Nissanka 47, Dhananjaya de Silva 21; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 1-24, Taskin Ahmed 2-25, Mustafizur Rahman 3-17, Rishad Hossain 3-22) by two wickets
[Cricinfo]
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