Jaffna Stallions dominate thanks to Perera and Dhananjaya heroics

Jaffna Stallions are the only team in the Lanka Premier League to remain unbeaten and they have to thank their skipper Thisara Perera for that. Fresh from a match winning half-century on Monday, Perera produced another fine all-round effort as Jaffna beat Kandy Tuskers by 54 runs at Suriyawewa yesterday.

Apart from his half-century, there were three catches and two wickets for Perera yesterday. It was his fifty that had a devastating effect on the game.

It wasn’t the easiest pitches to score runs and Jaffna slumped to 49 for four at the half-way mark when Perera came into the crease. He then threw caution to the wind clearing the boundary effortlessly. Kandy had things well under control until that point but with Perera going berserk, the game was slipping away from them.  

Perera and Dhananjaya de Silva brought their 100 run stand for the fifth wicket in just 44 balls.  Thisara’s 66 came off 28 balls with four five fours five sixes.  Predominately a leg-side player, Thisara was not so good at scoring from the off-side. But that is an area that he has worked admirably well and he has become mighty effective driving the ball on the off-side. The cut shot, however, doesn’t seem to be his cup of tea,  yet.

Dhananjaya was superb too. Slotted at number three, his instructions were to bat through the innings and he finished with 61 off 38 balls before being dismissed in the 18th over.

Kandy did well to curb the run flow claiming Thisara and Dhananjaya in successive deliveries.

But their run chase didn’t go to plan. Kusal Mendis posted 20 off nine balls and Brendan Taylor top scored with 46 runs. Asela Gunaratne chipped in the 31 runs but the rest of the batters contributed single digit scores.

Asela Gunaratne had a good all-round game and pulled off a stunning catch to dismiss Chaturanga de Silva.