Sports
Dambulla Giants cruise to comfortable win in LPL
Dambulla Giants cruised to a comfortable 18 run win in their Lanka Premier League fixture against Colombo Stars yesterday at R. Premadasa Stadium. Some big hitting by Giants batsmen powered them to a huge 195 for six and Stars in reply could only manage 177 all out in 18.5 overs.
Stars needed a big knock from one of their top order batsmen to challenge Giants but their batting did not click. Tom Banton (23), Kusal Perera (20), Pathum Nissanka (12) and Sherfane Rutherford all got starts but were not able to post a big score.
A 38 run stand between Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal for the sixth wicket kept the Stars interested but the scoreboard pressure saw them taking too many risks. Dhananjaya made 21 while Chandimal went onto top score with 26 runs in 16 deliveries with two fours and two sixes.
Giants may not have any big international names in their ranks but their batting is firing on all cylinders coming up with formidable totals. Their 195 for six yesterday is the competition’s highest total so far. They improved on their previous best of 190 for seven against Warriors on Monday. Explosive Welsh batsman Philip Salt continued his excellent form in the competition smashing 62 off 34 balls with eight fours and two sixes.
Salt, who has already represented England in white ball cricket, batted only for ten overs but that was sufficient to give his side an explosive start and a solid foundation. Dushmantha Chameera was called back to the attack with things getting out of hands for Stars and he provided the breakthrough by dismissing Salt.
After the excellent start, captain Dasun Shanaka and Najibullah Zadran provided the innings the much needed impetus in the death overs as they added 77 runs for the sixth wicket in 49 deliveries. Najibullah posted 54 that came off 40 deliveries with six fours and two sixes while Shanaka finished on 38 having faced 25 deliveries and hit three sixes and two fours. Chameera was on the money again sending down the penultimate over and his extra pace accounted for both batsmen.
Guyanese all-rounder Keemo Paul was the costliest with his three overs going for 48 runs.
With that win, Giants are second in the points table.
Oman made a couple of changes in the last two fixtures without success. Shakeel Ahmed went in and out of the side in the three games, but picked three wickets against Ireland and should keep his place. Jatinder might look at giving top-order batter Karan Sonavale another go.
[Cricbuzz]
Zimbabwe marched into the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup with the swagger of a side that refuses to read the script, completing the group phase unbeaten after a polished six-wicket win over co-hosts Sri Lanka at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium on Thursday.
Ranked 11th in the world, the African side have been the tournament’s disruptors-in-chief. Having already sent former champions Australia packing last week, they now added 2014 winners Sri Lanka to their growing list of scalps, underlining that this is no flash in the pan but a team riding a serious wave of momentum.
Chasing 179 on a surface that demanded both muscle and method, Zimbabwe found themselves at crossroads when 65 were needed off the last 36 balls. Enter Sikandar Raza, sleeves rolled up and eyes locked in.
The all-rounder flipped the contest on its head in one decisive over from Dushan Hemantha, plundering 20 runs with two towering sixes and a rasping boundary. In the blink of an eye, the asking rate dipped and Sri Lanka’s shoulders sagged.
Raza and Brian Bennett stitched together a match-defining 69 off 40 deliveries for the third wicket, mixing clean ball-striking with smart running between the wickets. Zimbabwe crossed the line with three balls to spare.
While Raza provided the late fireworks with 45 off 26 balls, peppered with two fours and four sixes, opener Bennett was the glue that held the innings together. His composed 63 off 48 deliveries, studded with eight fours, ensured Zimbabwe never lost sight of the target.
Even when Raza departed with 13 still required from two overs, Sri Lanka sensed a sniff. But Tony Munyonga calmly clubbed Maheesh Theekshana’s first delivery of the final over into the stands, draining the tension from the contest. Fittingly, Bennett sealed the deal with the winning boundary. Raza was named Man of the Match.
It was Zimbabwe’s second-highest successful run chase in T20Is.
Earlier, after opting to bat, Sri Lanka were once again anchored by Pathum Nissanka. Fresh from becoming the tournament’s first centurion earlier in the week, Nissanka produced a polished 62 off 47 balls, bringing up his seventh T20 World Cup half-century, equalling Mahela Jayawardene’s record for the most by a Sri Lankan.
He and Kusal Perera gave the innings early impetus with a brisk 54 off 30 balls for the opening stand before Nissanka added a further 46 in 43 deliveries alongside Kusal Mendis.
Pavan Rathnayake provided the late thrust, clearing the ropes twice in a 44 off 25 balls as Sri Lanka posted a competitive 178.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers, however, ensured it was a chaseable target rather than a daunting one. Veteran leg-spinner Graeme Cremer led the way with 2-27, applying the squeeze in the middle overs, while the towering Blessing Muzarabani struck twice to finish with 2-38.
Sri Lanka now turn their attention to a Super Eight showdown against England in Kandy on Sunday, a contest that promises high stakes and little margin for error. Zimbabwe, brimming with belief, head to Bombay to face the West Indies on Monday, no longer the underdogs but a side that has earned its place at the top table.
Yuhansa Peiris is set to meet Aaraa Aasaal Azim of Maldives in the girls’ singles final after emerging victorious in the semi finals of the J30 ITF Junior Week 4 tournament continued in Colombo on Thursday.
She was the only Sri Lankan player reaching the finals as Ganuka Fernando was eliminated in the boys’ semi final.
Semi Final results
Girls
Yuhansa Peiris beat Aarioda of Japan 6-4, 6-1.
Aaraa Aasaal Azim of Maldives beat Chiu Kwan Nina Wang of Hong Kong 4-6, 6-2, 7-6
Asahi Yamazaki of Japan beat Ganuka Fernando 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
Kenshin Sato of Japan beat Eunho Park of Korea 6-3, 6-1
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PC polls in limbo amidst govt.’s mumbo jumbo
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