A six wicket haul including a hat trick by Satharsan Subaman helped Jaffna Hindu College beat Hindu College Colombo by 64 runs in the 14th edition of the Battle of the Hindus which ended  on Saturday. With this win Jaffna Hindu lead the 14 match series four  wins to three.

Twenty two wickets fell on the first day of the match and Jaffna Hindu resuming on their overnight score of 71//2 declared their second essay at 170/9 giving Hindu College Colombo a victory target of 252. The visitors got off to a good start anchored by a well compiled 72 runs by Suresh Kumar Midusigan and a run a ball 39 from S Sarvish, but fell short by 64 runs as Suberman ripped through the tail end.

Best Batsman – Suresh Kumar Midusigan [Hindu College Colombo] [72 runs]

Best Bowler – VishwanathanYuaraj [Hindu College Colombo] [4-27 and 4-47]

Best Fielder – T Preethikan [Jaffna Hindu College]

Man of the Match – Satharshan Subaman [Jaffna Hindu College] [6-58]

An unbeaten 76 run partnership off 40 balls between  Shalin de Mel (48 off 19 balls with five sixes and 3 fours)  and Dhanushka Madushanka  (34 off 44) powered newcomers George Steuart Health to the Mercantile Cricket Association E division title at the MCA ground today [08].

George Steuart Health clinched the win defeating Ceylinco Insurance by 5 wickets with 8 balls remaining and took home the prestigious ‘DPGC Challenge Trophy’. The MCA E Divison 25 over league cricket tournament was sponsored   by the David Peris Group of Companies for the 22nd consecutive year.

Best Batsman of the Tournament- Pasindu Pathum (Janashakthi Group)

Best Bowler of the Tournament- J M Hussain (Amana Takaful)

Man of the final – Shalin de Mel ( George Steuart Health)

Man of the Tournament- Dimantha Kalugalage (Hayleys Group)

Ceylinco Insurance  159/9 in 25 overs (Chamod  Sulakshana 38, Buddhika Madushan 54,  Asela Fernando 22;  Shalin de Mel 2-24, Dhanushka Madushanka 2-48, Dinal Ishen 2-16)

George Steuart Health 165/5 in 23.4 overs (Dinal Ishen 26, Dhanushka Madushanka 34*, Shalin de Mel 48*; Dasun Gunasinghe 2-17)

In another masterstroke from stand-in captain Steven Smith,  Webster was handed the ball and unfurled his offspin – instead of seam – to dismiss Ramesh Mendis for a duck.

Webster almost had Prabath Jayasuriya caught and bowled first ball, while Mendis survived a huge lbw shout off Lyon that was given not out by umpire Joel Wilson. Australia unsuccessfully reviewed in an umpire’s call, but Smith’s gut instincts again proved correct when left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was tasked with bowling the final over and he promptly dismissed Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka lead by just 54 runs with two wickets in hand having lost 3 for 13 in the last five overs. Their chances of victory have effectively evaporated unless Mendis, who finished unbeaten on 48 having been left stranded on 85 in Sri Lanka’s first innings, can produce a miracle.

Sri Lanka had earlier appeared headed for a defeat within three days. Trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, they stared down the barrel of a quick demise at 39 for 3 when Lyon claimed his 550th Test wicket after dismissing Dinesh Chandimal for 12.

Retiring Dimuth Karunaratne had fallen for 14, caught behind off Kuhnemann, bringing down the curtain on his 100 Test career.  After prolonging his last moments at the crease with a review in vain, Karunaratne received an embrace from Lyon and Chandimal before walking off to a big ovation from those at the ground, including the Australians.

It was Kuhnemann’s second wicket after he bowled opener Pathum Nissanka with a good length delivery that slid on.

Chandimal had scored a couple of 70s in this series, but needed an even bigger contribution if Sri Lanka were to turn around their dire situation. But after being pinned down, Chandimal lost his patience against Lyon and hit to mid-off, where Webster moved nimbly to take a sharp catch low down.

Mathews and Kamindu Mendis provided some resistance with a 42-run partnership having both received reprieves after missed chances by Alex Carey with the gloves.

Entering the series averaging over 70, Kamindu’s tame series ended when he chipped Lyon to mid-off but skipper Dhananjaya de Silva batted crisply in a 47-run partnership with Mathews.

They moved along with relative ease to chip away at the deficit and Mathews reached his half-century in style with a six over cover off debutant Cooper Connolly, who was used for a couple of overs.

Just when Sri Lanka’s hopes were raised, Smith seemingly dealt them a crushing blow when he completed a sensational one-handed, diving catch at slip after de Silva edged Kuhnemann.

But Mendis came out with an aggressive mindset to rattle a tiring Australia attack amid the humidity. He levelled the scores with a slog sweep off Lyon that sailed into the crowd before lifting Sri Lanka into the lead on the next ball.

Sri Lanka were having arguably their best period with the bat in the series before Mathews’ rush of blood. It was a disappointment for Sri Lanka after their best day of the series ended on a sour note.

Sri Lanka’s attempts at a fightback started when they claimed seven wickets in the morning session to bowl out Australia for 414. Jayasuriya found venomous bite with the second new ball to pick up four of his five wickets in the session.

Smith and Carey’s magnificent partnership of 259 ended less than 20 minutes into the day’s play. In another batting record for Australia in this series, it was the highest fourth-wicket partnership by a visiting pair in Sri Lanka in Tests, bettering the 258-stand between Michael Hussey and Shaun Marsh in Pallekele in 2011.

Australia resumed in a powerful position at 330 for 3, but they knew there was work to do in their bid to only bat once in this match. Carey overtook his highest first-class score of 143 in style with a firm sweep that rocketed to the boundary and he also moved past Adam Gilchrist’s 144 as the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper in Asia.

Jayasuriya was rewarded for his attacking line and lengths when Smith’s stout defence was finally breached on 131 by a brilliant delivery that pitched on off stump and gripped off the surface. Smith walked off immediately after feathering an edge and he received a rousing ovation, but his dismissal reinvigorated Sri Lanka and brought a different complexion to the game.

Josh Inglis made his way to the crease one spot lower in the batting-order after spending time off the field during Sri Lanka’s first innings because of a back spasm. After scoring a memorable debut ton in the first Test, Inglis’ stumps were rattled on his second delivery when he played back to a full delivery that skidded on.

Carey on 156 finally succumbed to the sweep, a stroke he had been almost faultless through the innings, when he played over the top of a Jayasuriya delivery and was clean bowled.

All eyes were on Connolly, who boasted a first-class average of 61.80 from four matches but three of those was at the pace-friendly WACA ground.

Connolly has proven to be a big-game performer in his fledgling career, backing his aggressive instincts, and he got off the mark in trademark cavalier fashion with a boundary albeit off a top-edge from a full-blooded sweep.