Sports
King, bowlers set up clinical win in decider
An unbeaten 85 from Brandon King and his century stand with Nicholas Pooran followed up a disciplined bowling effort from their bowlers as West Indies convincingly beat India by eight wickets in the fifth T20I at Lauderhill on Sunday (August 13). The hosts did well to restrict India with a series of late strikes after the visitors had threatened to get to a 180-plus score at one point and then the chase was smoothly completed with two overs to spare. The win was West Indies’ first-ever win in a five-match T20I series over India.
Unlike the previous game where Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill made merry, the openers couldn’t replicate their feat this time around. Both fell to the left-arm spin of Akeal Hosain who bowled a tricky opening spell. Jaiswal’s was a soft dismissal as he chipped a gentle return catch to the bowler while Gill was given out LBW after missing the sweep. Ironically, a review would have saved the latter but he chose not to take it.
Through this series, it’s been evident that Tilak has no nerves on the big stage and loves to attack irrespective of the situation. Even as Suryakumar Yadav was doing his thing in the Power Play, it was Tilak who shifted the momentum drastically by taking Alzarri Joseph apart in the sixth over. West Indies’ premier pacer conceded 19 off his first over including three fours and a six. It needed something special to derail the left-hander and Roston Chase did exactly that. Firstly, he enticed Tilak to drive uppishly and then dived full-stretch to his right off his followthrough to pluck a blinder. It was the breather West Indies needed as the partnership had been threatening to go big.
A few rain delays did hamper India’s momentum but Suryakumar was unstoppable as he went along his merry ways. However, he didn’t quite get the support from the other end. Sanju Samson started promisingly but as has been his nature, gifted his wicket away at a crucial stage.
The Indian captain gave able support to Suryakumar as the pair went about batting deep into the innings. The visitors were starting to wrestle back the momentum with the slog overs incoming before Hardik holed out in a bid to up the ante. He had been sedate till that over, opting to give more of the strike to his well-set partner and after having hit Romario Shepherd for a six, perished the next ball.
Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder used their bowling smarts to ensure that India never got their finishing kick. The 20th over of the innings did go for 16 thanks to a lusty blow from Axar Patel and a wicket-keeping error from Pooran but largely, it was an excellent death bowling performance from West Indies as they kept India to a below-par total.
Kyle Mayers made his intentions known by attacking Hardik off the very first over of the innings and that over went for 11. However, the left-hander’s stay was short-lived as Arshdeep Singh removed him in the pacer’s first over. It was just the tonic India needed in defending a clearly under-par score.
Little did India know that their joy of getting Mayers early would be their only moment of happiness for a long, long time. King was in full flow, be it against pace or spin and his nimble footwork made a mess of the bowler’s lengths. Pooran was his usual self, showing intent from ball one as India’s bowlers had no respite whatsoever. 61 came off the PowerPlay as the duo broke the back of the chase, also keeping their team comfortably ahead of the DLS par score with rain around. Hardik tried everything, including the introduction of his wrist spinners inside the first six overs but to no avail.
India finally managed to break the partnership after one of the numerous weather interruptions with the part-time spin of Tilak doing the trick. However, it came clearly too late for the tourists who had very few runs to play with thereafter. King along with Shai Hope put the finishing touches to the chase to ensure that the task was done without any hiccups.
by Rex Clementine
A match saving hundred by Sonal Dinusha helped Sri Lanka salvage a draw in the second Test against India at the SSC yesterday. India won the series 1-0, having claimed the opening Test in Galle by 165 runs.
Sri Lanka were 429 for nine in their second innings, with Dinusha unbeaten on 133, when the teams shook hands and called off the game with the 15 mandatory overs about to begin.
Sri Lanka, who were forced to follow on after conceding a first innings deficit of 213 runs, began the final day staring down the barrel at 229 for six, leading by just 16 runs with three sessions to survive.
In young Sonal Dinusha, however, the hosts seem to have unearthed a gem. He batted superbly under pressure to ensure Sri Lanka earned a draw and picked up some valuable points in the World Test Championship.
Dinusha had been Sri Lanka’s standout performer throughout the series, having made 100 and 84 in the first Test in Galle before following it up with 103 in the first innings at the SSC and an unbeaten 133 in the second essay to finish the series with 420 runs.
It was only the fifth Test for the 25-year-old, but he batted with authority and showed remarkable composure in a back to the wall effort.
India threw everything at him, including the second new ball, but Dinusha remained unmoved as he became only the eighth Sri Lankan to score hundreds in both innings of a Test, joining an exclusive list comprising Duleep Mendis, Asanka Gurusinha, Aravinda de Silva, T.M. Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva.
The match saving hundred was Dinusha’s third in Test cricket and also his career-best score.
Dinusha could not have done it all by himself, however, as he received excellent support from Sri Lanka’s lower order.
He added 112 runs from 246 deliveries for the seventh wicket with Keshara Nuwantha as Sri Lanka batted through the entire morning session without losing a wicket.
India finally found the breakthrough in the first over after lunch when Nuwantha departed for a well compiled 46.
Dinusha then added 25 runs for the eighth wicket from 74 balls with Prabath Jayasuriya to keep Sri Lanka afloat. After Jayasuriya’s dismissal, Lahiru Kumara joined Dinusha and the pair added 47 runs for the ninth wicket from 170 deliveries, keeping India in the field for even longer and eating further into the time available for the tourists to force a victory.
Questions will be asked of India’s bowling attack after they were unable to run through Sri Lanka’s lower order on a fifth day pitch despite having the hosts six wickets down at the start of play.
Six-a-side school cricket is set to make a high-profile return to Moratuwa when the Old Boys’ Association of Prince of Wales’ College stages the Prince of Wales’ College 150th Anniversary Inter-School Sixes Cricket Tournament on August 29 and 30 at the De Soysa Stadium.
The two-day tournament is one of the major sporting attractions of the College’s historic 150th anniversary celebrations and
will bring together 16 leading school cricket teams for a knockout competition.
The tournament is aimed at reviving the excitement of six-a-side cricket, a format renowned for its fast pace and spectator-friendly nature, which has not featured regularly in major inter-school competitions in recent years.
The Old Boys’ Association believes the 150th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to bring the format back to the forefront while celebrating Moratuwa’s deep-rooted passion for cricket.
Cricket has long held a special place in the hearts of Moratuwa’s residents, while Prince of Wales’ College boasts a proud cricketing tradition that has produced several outstanding players who have gone on to represent Sri Lanka at the highest level.
The organizers expect more than 5,000 cricket enthusiasts from Moratuwa and surrounding areas to witness the tournament over the two days, turning the event into a major festival of school cricket.
The opening ceremony on August 29 is scheduled to be attended by Kusal Mendis, one of the leading cricketers produced by Prince of Wales’ College and a member of the Sri Lankan national team.
The tournament will feature 16 schools, including Royal College Colombo, St. Joseph’s College Darley Road, Thurstan College Colombo, S. Thomas’ College Mount Lavinia, Dharmasoka College Ambalangoda, Prince of Wales’ College Moratuwa, Moratu Maha Vidyalaya, D.S. Senanayake College Colombo, Sri Sumangala College Panadura, Richmond College Galle, Mahanama College Colombo, St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, St. Peter’s College Bambalapitiya, Wesley College Colombo, Ananda College Colombo and Mahanama College Panadura.
With the competition being played on a knockout basis, the compact format is expected to produce plenty of attacking cricket and give emerging players an opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a large crowd.
Apart from the competitive aspect, the tournament is also intended to promote sportsmanship, friendship and fellowship among the participating schools.
The tournament will conclude on August 30 with a ceremonial awards presentation, with the participation of Eran Wickramaratne, distinguished invitees, representatives of participating schools, past pupils and members of the cricketing community.
The Old Boys’ Association has also expressed its appreciation to the corporate sector and event sponsors whose support has helped make the tournament possible.
Their contribution, according to the organizers, reflects the continuing partnership between Prince of Wales’ College, its alumni and the corporate community in supporting educational, sporting and development initiatives.
The six-a-side tournament is therefore expected to provide not only two days of entertaining school cricket, but also a fitting sporting celebration of 150 years of Prince of Wales’ College.
India 503/9 decl (Devdutt Padikkal 117, Dhruv Jurel 115; Asitha Fernando 4-106, Prabath Jayasuriya 2-132) drew with Sri Lanka 290 (Sonal Dinusha 103, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 80; Prasidh Krishna 3-52, Manav Suthar 3-85) and 429/9 f/o (Sonal Dinusha 133*, Pasindu Sooriyabandara 92; Ravindra Jadeja 3-94, Manav Suthar 3-121)
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