Match 13, Kandy, December 14, 2022, 03:00 PM
Kandy Falcons
160/8(20.0ov)
Jaffna Kings
150/9(20.0ov)
Kandy Falcons beat Jaffna Kings by 10 runs
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Fabian Allen
Commentry
That is it from this game. There is one more game to come before the Kandy leg of the tournament comes to a close and that game is between Colombo Stars and Dambulla Aura. You can simply switch tabs and catch the build-up to that game which starts at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT). Cheers!
The skipper of Kandy Falcons, Wanindu Hasaranga says they are playing very good cricket with the bowlers doing their job and batters also contributing. Claims that they have good batters towards the end and they can hit the ball hard. Adds that he wants to bat till the 14th and 15th over so that they can play their natural game. Credits Carlos Brathwaite and says he is very experienced and has played a lot of T20 cricket. Explains that he bowls good lengths and that is what brings him success.
Thisara Perera, the captain of Jaffna Kings mentions that winning or losing is all a part of the game. Explains that there was a good stage when they were bowling but they need to learn from this situation and come back stronger. Informs that he felt 170-180 was achievable on this wicket but they didn’t click otherwise they could have chased down the target.
Fabian Allen is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH! Allen says it was a difficult moment when he went out to bat but he backs himself and he wanted to execute his shots which came off for him today. Claims that they are playing good cricket with the bowlers doing a decent job. Credits Carlos Brathwaite and says he has been outstanding. Ends by saying that even with the ball he wanted to get out there and execute.
The presentation ceremony...
Earlier in the game, Wanindu Hasaranga opted to bat first which didn't turn out to be the best of decisions as they struggled against the spinners in the middle phase. The likes of Dunith Wellalage and Waqar Salamkheil showed good control and didn't let the Kandy batters get away from them. This was however undone as Fabian Allen played an explosive cameo and Chamika Karunaratne too got in a few lusty blows to take the score to 160. It was still a decent enough score to chase down but Kandy Falcons were just superior with the ball and in the field to seal the double over their opponents.
Kandy Falcons will be delighted with that win and boy, they look like a solid team. They recovered well with the bat and took that momentum on the field as the pacers got them a couple of early wickets. Then came a phase where their bowlers seemed to be receiving a bit of stick but Fabian Allen and Wanindu Hasaranga bowled in-tandem and put the Falcons right on top. The man with the golden touch, Carlos Brathwaite then came back to pick up crucial wickets and ended up with a four-fer as well. This all-round bowling performance took Falcons over the line and two points clear at the top as well.
Jaffna Kings did bowl well but conceded a fair bit of extra runs toward the end and that has cost them dearly. With the bat too they had a poor start as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Dhananjaya de Silva two experienced batters fell early. Then came the stand between Avishka Fernando and Sadeera Samarawickrama that got them back in the game but once Avishka got out, their innings completely derailed. Sadeera Samarawickrama tried to hold fort from one end but ended up getting out himself and in the end, their lower order just didn't have enough to get them over the line.
The battle of the top two sides has proved to be a good contest yet again but this time around, Kandy Falcons have managed to win the game a bit more comfortably than they did last time and have gone outright top of the table. As for Jaffna Kings, their second loss of this campaign comes against the Falcons yet again and they will be mightily disappointed.
In over# 20
4lb
0
4
1
2
1
Chamika Karunaratne 39/0(3)
19.6
4lb
FOUR LEG BYES! Slower delivery bowled down leg side on a fuller length. Waqar Salamkheil looks to clip this but misses and the ball goes off his pads towards fine leg for four extra runs. Not enough though as Kandy Falcons seal a 10-run win and have done the double over the reigning champions.
19.5
.
Bangs this in short and outside off, Waqar Salamkheil looks to upper cut this but misses and looks for a wide. The umpire remains unmoved.
19.4
4
FOUR! That should be the game for Kandy Falcons barring extras and the boundary has come too late! Chamika Karunaratne goes full this time in line with the stumps, Waqar Salamkheil gets his front foot out of the way and thumps this over the bowler's head for four runs. 15 runs in 2 balls now.
19.3
1
This is slightly short as well and just outside the off stump. Vijayakanth Viyaskanth cross-bats this towards long off for one. 19 runs needed in 3 balls.
19.2
2
Bowls this back of a length and outside off, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth hits this aerially towards deep cover and they take two runs.
19.1
1
Chamika Karunaratne bowls this full and outside off, angling into the batter. Waqar Salamkheil swings and gets an inside edge onto the pads. They take a single as the ball rolls to the off side.
In over# 19
1
1
0
0W
0
6
Isuru Udana 27/1(4)
18.6
1
Full and wide again, driven through covers for a run.
18.5
1
Full and wide, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth looks to drive but gets an inside edge onto the pads. The ball rolls away onto the off side and they steal a single.