Jaffna dents Galle’s unbeaten record, Oshada scores first hundred

Kandy skipper Kamindu Mendis (right) congratulates Oshada Fernando on reaching his century against Dambulla  

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Jaffna dented Galle’s unbeaten run to win by 88 runs and go atop of the National Super League (NSL) Limited Over table with 10 points. In the other match concluded yesterday Oshada Fernando became the tournament’s first centurion as he piloted Kandy to a resounding 155-run win over the hapless Dambulla who suffered their fourth straight defeat.  

Jaffna skipper Dhananjaya de Silva produced a master class all-round performance to lead his team to a convincing 88-run win over Galle at the P. Sara Oval. Invited to bat first, Jaffna got off to a shaky start losing 3/59 runs in the first 11 overs, before de Silva and Santhush Gunathilaka steadied the innings with half-centuries. De Silva hit an enterprising 55 off 57 balls (seven fours, two sixes), and Gunathilaka a patient 57 off 110 balls with one four.

Contributions of 35 and 31 from Nimanda Madushanka and Ishan Jayaratne respectively saw Jaffna dismissed for 263 with a ball to spare. Dhananjaya Lakshan and Muditha Lakshan shared six wickets between them.

Galle, in reply, began promisingly with Dhananjaya Lakshan and Pabasara Waduge posting 58 for the first wicket off seven overs when de Silva introduced himself into the attack. Bowling his off-breaks with guile, he dismissed both openers and also picked up the wicket of acting skipper Priyamal Perera for nine as the innings went into a decline to 100/6. Jehan Daniel mounted a late resistance, but could not stop wickets falling at the other end, and De Silva returning for his second spell, cleaned up the innings with his fourth wicket to end with career-best figures of 4/27 to follow his fine half-century.   

Kandy came up with a powerful batting display to beat Dambulla by 155 runs at the SSC grounds. Sri Lanka Test number three Oshada Fernando scored his maiden century in white-ball cricket and the first of the ongoing tournament to guide Kandy to an imposing total of 318/9 after being put into bat first. Fernando hit 13 fours and four sixes in his 141-ball knock for 138 and shared a 112-run fourth wicket partnership with skipper Kamindu Mendis (43 off 53 balls, three fours, one six), after Lasith Croospulle had set the tone with a scorching innings of 32 off 17 balls, inclusive of four sixes. Seamer Lahiru Samarakoon was the pick of the bowlers, taking a career-best four wickets despite conceding 87 runs.

Dambulla, in their reply, once again faltered in their batting, with only Ashan Priyanjan, the Captain, showing any sort of form to score a fifty off 79 balls as they were bowled out for 163 with spinners Pulina Tharanga and Kamindu Mendis picking up five wickets between them.     

Results:

• At SSC: Kandy 318-9 (50) (Lasith Croospulle 32, Oshada Fernando 138, Kamindu Mendis 43, Sahan Arachchige 28, Lahiru Samarakoon 4/87, Duvindu Tillakaratne 2/40) beat Dambulla 163 (42.1) (Gayan Maneeshan 21, Ashan Priyanjan 50, Anuk Fernando 26, Asitha Fernando 2/16, Pulina Tharanga 3/39, Kamindu Mendis 2/35) by 155 runs. 
• At P. Sara Oval: Jaffna 263 (49.5) (Sadeera Samarawickrama 33, Dhananjaya de Silva 55, Santhush Gunathilaka 57, Nimanda Madushanka 35, Ishan Jayaratne 31, Ravindu Fernando 24, Heshan Hettiarachchi 2/36, Dhananjaya Lakshan 3/37, Muditha Lakshan 3/44) beat Galle 175 (36.2) (Dhananjaya Lakshan 34, Pabasara Waduge 24, Himasha Liyanage 21, Dushan Vimukthi 21, Jehan Daniel 36, Ishan Jayaratne 2/27, Dhananjaya de Silva 4/27) by 88 runs.