Chance for SLC Greys to consolidate position at the top

 Kamindu Mendis is the leading run-getter with 193 runs and a strike rate of 167.83, but his team SLC Greens has still to win a match

• 2nd round of Dialog SLC Invitational T20 League commences today

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The second round of the league matches in the ongoing Dialog SLC Invitational T20 League commences today at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium with two double headers – SLC Blues take on SLC Reds at 2:30 p.m. and SLC Greys meet SLC Greens at 7 p.m.

At the end of the first round league matches Greys led by national white ball captain Dasun Shanaka had taken an early lead winning all three matches to top the standings with 6 points. Today they have an opportunity to further consolidate their position at the top when they meet wooden spoonists Greens, the only team without a win so far.

Greens’ problems lie with their bowling where their two fast bowlers Sri Lanka quick Lahiru Kumara and Ishan Jayaratne have not only been misfiring, but unable to pick up wickets and has leaked a lot of runs, much to the dismay of the captain Ashan Priyanjan. 

Kumara has taken only a solitary wicket in the 3 matches conceding 107 runs and at the same time been pretty expensive conceding 10.7 runs an over, while Jayaratne averages 48 for his 2 wickets and has an economy rate of 10.11. Greens’ two main wicket takers are spinners Lakshan Sandakan and Suminda Lakshan who share four wickets between them.      

Batsman Kamindu Mendis has been the Greens’ lone star along with Pathum Nissanka. Mendis with three half-centuries in as many matches is the leading run scorer in the tournament with 193 runs (avg. 96.50) and an impressive strike rate of 167.83. His outstanding batting contributions have all been in vain as the rest of the team has failed to pull through to convert the platforms he and Nissanka (124 runs, avg. 62) have laid, to wins. 

Under Shanaka’s leadership Greys have been able to defend whatever total they have come up with in the three games so far. Totals of 167 (twice) and 154 are not outrageous scores by any stretch of imagination, but where Greys’ success lies is with their bowling unit where seasoned war horse Nuwan Pradeep and spinners Pulina Tharanga, Ashian Daniel and Chaturanga de Silva have not only picked up wickets at crucial stages of the game but have been very miserly with their economy rates that has put the brakes against all opposition. Pradeep with 5 wickets has an economy rate of 6.50 runs an over while Tharanga also with 5 wickets concedes 7.42 runs an over, Daniel (4 wickets, E/R 5.86) and De Silva (2 wickets, E/R 6.50).

Greys’ batting has been reliant on Shanaka in the first two games, but in the third Lahiru Madushanka and vice-captain Charith Asalanka took on the responsibility scoring a fifty apiece. If there are any grey areas for the Greys, it is for their top order to fire. In all three games they have lost at least 3 wickets within the first power play.

Blues skipper Dhananjaya de Silva’s return to the side did not augur too well for his team as they suffered their first defeat at the hands of Greys on Monday. Blues, who looked pretty convincing in their first two outings under Angelo Perera, failed to find the momentum in their batting against Greys and fell short by 16 runs to chase down a target of 168. 

Ashen Bandara and Sadeera Samarawickrama have been their leading run getters, each with over 100 runs, while the spinners Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama and Angelo Perera have done the job for them in the bowling. Their quicks Suranga Lakmal and Dilshan Madushanka have failed to fire so far, conceding over 8 runs an over.

Reds led by former Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal have got off the blocks rather slowly, but look the most threatening team in the competition. Following two defeats where their batting failed to click, the Reds got their act together in the third match against Greens and came up with an impressive batting display which was one of the best in the tournament. 

They chased down a target of 144 with ease without losing a single wicket with the batting honours going largely to Sri Lanka’s white ball opener Avishka Fernando who hit a brilliant 82 not out with 6 sixes and Chandimal (51*) playing the supporting role in an opening century partnership. 

Chamika Karunaratne who overnight became a household name with his all-round exploits in the recently concluded T20I series against India made his mark in his first appearance in the tournament snapping up the wickets of Kamindu Mendis, Sammu Ashan and Ramesh Mendis for 26 runs. The Reds’ bowling has been spearheaded by spinners Seekkuge Prasanna (6 wickets, E/R 5.25), and Prabath Jayasuriya (3 wkts, E/R 6.27).

As only the top two teams in the standings will qualify to play in the final, the second round of the league is bound to be a hard fought affair.