Opening day of Major T20 tournament gives poor reflection of SL’s T20 standard

Friday, 5 March 2021 00:22 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Pramud Hettiwatte starred for Nugegoda SWC with both bat and ball


By Sa’adi Thawfeeq


Isuru Udana returned to competitive cricket after injury with two wickets for Tamil Union against Sri Lanka Army SC 

 
Priyamal Perera, who scored an unbeaten 62* for Colts, celebrates his half century against SLPA


The opening day of the SLC Major T20 inter-club cricket tournament gave an astute reflection of why the national team struggles to come up with match winning totals when they play in T20 Internationals.

In the first T20I against the West Indies at Antigua, SL managed only 131/9, which hardly represents a match-winning total.

Of the eight matches that were played yesterday, the highest total obtained was 164/8 by Nugegoda SWC against Badureliya CC at the SSC grounds. If this is the standard of T20 cricket that is displayed at domestic level, one dreads what the future of the national team will be, because it is based on these performances that players are picked for the national squad.

Not surprisingly, the highest individual score also came from Nugegoda SWC’s batsman Muditha Lakshan, who made 73 off 42 balls (nine fours, three sixes).       

Nugegoda SWC, CCC, NCC, Colts, SSC, Kurunegala YCC, Ragama CC and Tamil Union recorded wins in the matches played yesterday.

Pramud Hettiwatte, son of former Sri Lanka wicket-keeper/batsman Hemantha Devapriya, came up with a fine all-round performance for Nugegoda SWC in their 25-run win over Badureliya CC.

He scored 43 off 31 balls (four fours, one six), figuring in a 66-run stand with Muditha Lakshan, and then bowled his left-arm slow orthodox deliveries to snap up 4/13, as Badureliya CC fell short by 25 runs, chasing Nugegoda’s total of 164/8.

CCC hardly raised a sweat in defeating Galle CC by eight wickets. Galle were bundled out for 75 by a combined spell of seam and spin bowling and CCC made short work of that target, reaching it in 7.1 overs.

Priyamal Perera struck four sixes and three fours, scoring an unbeaten 62* off 36 balls, as Colts made light of their target of 128 against the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, winning by eight wickets.

Nimasara Atharagalla, the former St Sylvester’s College – Kandy right-arm medium-fast bowler brought the downfall of his former club Chilaw Marians, with a spell of 4/26 off 2.2 overs, as Kurunegala YCC pulled off a surprise 16-run win.

Sri Lanka T20I cricketer Isuru Udana showed that he had recovered from his hamstring injury that kept him out of the current tour of the West Indies, by taking 2/16 for Tamil Union in their six-wicket win over Sri Lanka Army.



RESULTS       

AT SSC

Nugegoda SWC 164/8 (20) (Muditha Lakshan 73, Pramud Hettiwatte 43, Mithira Thenura 3/25, Alankara Silva 2/32) beat Badureliya CC 139 (18.2) (Sandun Weerakkody 37, Milinda Siriwardana 25, Umesh Karunaratane 2/27, Pramud Hettiwatte 4/13) by 25 runs.

CCC 79-2 (7.1) (Ron Chandraguptha 24, Minod Bhanuka 29*) beat Galle CC 75 (16.1) (Dilshan Kanchana 17, Lahiru Gamage 2/6, Lahiru Madushanka 2/7, Malinda Pushpakumara 2/12, Ashan Priyanjan 2/25) by eight wickets.



AT CCC

NCC 155-7 (20) (Lahiru Udara 22, Hasitha Boyagoda 38, Angelo Perera 22, Kamil Mishara 29*, Deshan Fernando 3/20) beat Bloomfield 106-7 (20) (Harsha Vithana 25, Nipun Haggala 23, Madushan Ravichandrakumar 22, Chamika Gunasekera 3/4, Sahan Arachchige 2/22) by three wickets.

Colts 129-2 (15.5) (Sangeeth Cooray 36*, Kithuruwan Vithanage 24, Priyamal Perera 62*) beat SLPA 128 (19.5) (Yohan de Silva 20, Nimantha Perera 23, Ishan Rangana 39, Dhananjaya Lakshan 3/17, Saranga Rajaguru 2/23) by eight wickets.



AT COLTS

SSC 148-8 (20) (Krishan Sanjula 52, Nipuna Kariyawasam 4/31, Insaka Siriwardene 2/14)

beat Kalutara TC 121 (19.2) (Gihan Rupasinghe 36, Denuwan Rajakaruna 22, Nilanka Sandakan 30, Himesh Ramanayake 2/21, Jeffrey Vandersay 3/25, Prabath Jayasuriya 2/26) by 27 runs.

Kurunegala YCC 151-8 (20) (Gayan Maneeshan 42, Dhanushka Dharmasiri 53, Sandun Mendis 2/30, Pulina Tharanga 2/22) beat Chilaw Marians CC 135 (19.2) (Lasith Croospulle 35, Kasun Vidura 36, Lahiru Jayaratne 2/24, Nimasara Atharagalla 4/26) by 16 runs.



AT NCC

Ragama CC 88-6 (17.4) (Nishan Madushka 27, Dilanka Auwardt 2/17) beat SL Navy SC 87-9 (20) (Chanaka Ruwansiri 24, Ishan Jayaratne 3/20, Binura Fernando 2/11, Janith Liyanage 2/8) by four wickets.

Tamil Union 108-4 (17.5) (Sadeera Samarawickrama 52, Manoj Sarathchandra 29*, Maheesh Theekshana 2/13) beat SL Army SC 104 (19.3) (Asela Gunaratne 34, Shiran Fernando 3/17, Isuru Udana 2/16, Ravindu Fernando 2/11) by six wickets.

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