Under 19 Cricket

by Reemus Fernando

Mahinda College, Galle scored their second outright victory of the season and the first in the Under 19 Division I Tier ‘B’ cricket tournament as Senuka Dangamuwa came up with his best bowling figures of the season to halt a fighting Moratu Vidyalaya outfit in Galle on Thursday.

After Arosha Udayanga anchored the tail with an unbeaten 41 runs for Mahinda to post 252 runs, the visitors resisted by posting their highest total of the tournament (200). Skipper Isuru Nidharshana was responsible for more than half of their score as he anchored the top order batting line up with a century. His knock of 105 runs came in 146 balls (12x4s, 1×6). Hasidu Gimsara came up with a 37-ball 46 runs which included four fours and three sixes.

However, their 67 overs of resistance could not prevent them from conceding defeat. Dangamuwa with a six wicket haul was the main wicket taker for Mahinda.

Mahinda only needed 45 runs to win and they reached the target for the loss of two wickets in seven overs.

It is the first outright victory for Mahinda in their group.

Meanwhile, Sri Sumngala, Panadura topped 300 runs against Wesley at Campbell Park. Neksha Iddamalgoda top scored with 119 runs, while Rusith Jayawardana (83) and Sandeep Wijerathne (92) made valuable half centuries.

Results

Mahinda beat Moratu Vidyalaya in Galle

Scores

Moratu Vidyalaya 96 all out in 45.2 overs (Sanjana Senavirathna 31, Shehara Fernando 20; Arosha Udayanga 5/35) and 200 all out in 67.2 overs (Isuru Nidharshana 105, Sanjana Senavirathne 20, Hasindu Gimsara 46; Kaveen Rukshan 2/50, Senuka Dangamuwa 6/65)

Mahinda 213 for 9 overnight 252 all out in 61.5 overs (Dulsith Darshana 106, Senuka Dangamuwa 50, Arosha Udayanga 41n.o.; Isuru Nidharshana 2/72, Nishitha Fernando 5/60) and 48 for 2 in 6.3 overs (Dulsith Dharshana 24)

Sri Sumangala post 330 at Campbell Park

Scores

Sri Sumangala 330 for 7 decl. in 84.3 overs (Rusith Jayawardana 83, Neksha Iddamalgoda 119, Sandeep Wijerathne 92; Dinuja Samararathna 3/104)

Wesley 45 for 1 in 13 overs

With his family and well-wishers watching along from the Queens Sports Club balcony, Zimbabwe’s veteran batter Sean Williams celebrated his fifth Test ton in Bulawayo to give the hosts the upper hand in the Boxing Day Test against Afghanistan, as they finished on 363 for 4.

Williams not only negated Afghanistan’s spin challenge comfortably but also dominated the other bowlers to finish unbeaten on 145. His control percentage of 90 on a surface that offered decent turn right from the start of play displayed just that, with the inexperienced Afghanistan bowling attack – the visitors were missing Rashid Khan for the Test owing to personal reasons – looking both deflated and bruised by the end of it.

Walking in at the start of the second session to face his first ball with Zimbabwe at 92 for 2, Williams relied on his footwork to get on top of the bowling. Usually a frequent sweeper, Williams, on this occasion, took to the cuts, drives and pulls to shepherd the Zimbabwe innings. With Afghanistan not offering anything too full knowing Williams’ love for the sweep, he countered the bowlers’ lengths by rocking back or going on to the front foot with equal ease.

When Williams charged down the track, he lifted sixes over long-on and long-off. When he hung back, he created the time to slap boundaries through the off side. Williams’ enterprising batting earned him a half-century off 58 balls, and a century off 115.

But Williams’ innings wasn’t the only one to help Zimbabwe finish the day on a high. Opener Ben Curran,  one of three Zimbabwe debutants and one of six across the two XIs, set the tone early with 68 off 74 balls. He welcomed fellow debutant Azmatullah Omarzai into Test cricket with a boundary off the allrounder’s first ball in the format, before unleashing ten more boundaries.

Curran was the majority contributor in a 43-run opening partnership with Joylord Gumbie (9), and a 49-run second-wicket stand with Takudzwanashe Kaitano (46), but fell to teen debutant AM Ghanzafar in the last over before lunch after a wrong’un sneaked through his defence to knock his stumps back.