Thisara Perera lights up Hambantota, takes Jaffna to table top

Skipper Thisara Perera took the Jaffna Stallions to the top of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) table with a sterling knock of 97 not out off 44 balls in their second match of the round robin stage against the Dambulla Viiking, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium yesterday.

In the first of two matches for the day, Jaffna secured a convincing 66-run win over Dambulla thanks largely to Perera’s all-round brilliance, that saw him pick up the Man of the Match award with ease. His innings is the highest so far in the tournament surpassing the unbeaten 92 scored by teammate Avishka Fernando in the opening match against Galle Gladiators.

Dambulla with two wins displaced Colombo Kings also with two wins at the table top on a superior nett run rate (1.80 to 1.36).

Perera came to his team’s rescue when they were five down for 64 in the ninth over, and after taking them to a sizeable total of 218/7, returned to strike twice with the ball to end up with figures of 2 for 23 – and with it claimed the match award.

Things did not begin well for Jaffna after they were invited to bat first, as they lost their first four wickets for 40 runs inside the power play, and were soon 71-5 at the halfway mark.

It was then that Perera, who has underperformed as an all-rounder for his country in white ball cricket, really came to the party. He took the Dambulla bowling by the scruff of the neck to hit 7 sixes and 8 fours, and produce an outstanding innings which happened to be his best in T20 cricket surpassing his previous best of 84.

It was largely due to Perera that Jaffna, who were in trouble at one stage, recovered from 71-5 to end up scoring an imposing 218-7 to which Dambulla had no answer, as they folded up rather tamely to be dismissed for 152 at the beginning of the final over.

Perera’s assault on the Dambulla bowling saw Jaffna score 147 off the final 10 overs including 71 off the last five that turned the innings on its head.

Perera’s knock wouldn’t have been possible had he not got the support from the two De Silva brothers – 29 year-old Chaturanga with whom he added 51 off 32 balls, and 24 year-old Wanindu Hasaranga (24), who scored 55 off 22 balls – that saw the Jaffna’s total soar to an unprecedented height from where it was at one stage.

Dambulla had their best moments in the game at the beginning when each of the first four bowlers –Lahiru Kumara, Ramesh Mendis, Anwar Ali and Samit Patel – used by skipper Dasun Shanaka produced a wicket in their first over. Slow left-armer Patel celebrating his 36th birthday took two wickets in three overs and conceded 26 runs.

Another Dambulla player, Afghanistan’s Aftab Alam, also celebrating his 28th birthday, took a wicket for 22 runs in three overs.

But all their initial efforts went undone by Perera’s dazzling display with the bat that simply took the game away from them. The former Sri Lanka white ball captain was brutal on Lahiru Kumara whom he smacked for 30 runs (3 sixes, 3 fours) in one over, and he also took a further 21 runs off the only over bowled by Lahiru Madushanka.   

In Shanaka, Dambulla too had a match winner similar to Perera but the difference was that unlike the two De Silva’s who helped Perera raise over a 100 in two productive partnerships, there was none to support Shanaka who had to go it alone. The pressure was too much for one man as the asking rate rose to over 16 an over, and he eventually succumbed in the 16th over holing out to deep extra cover for 35 off 21 balls. Patel top scored for Dambulla with a hard hit 41 off 22 balls to follow his two wickets.

Jaffna skipper Perera paid a compliment to his bowlers for keeping Dambulla’s down to a total of around 150. “I must thank my bowling unit they did a very good job especially on this kind of wicket where a total of 200 plus is very easy to chase.”

About his personal performance, Perera said: “Earlier in my career I was always looking out to hit from the beginning, but now I am more mature and I take a little bit of time before going into my strokes. That is why I am successful.” (ST)

Scores:

Jaffna Stallions 218-7 (20) (Shoaib Malik 23, Chaturanga de Silva 29, Thisara Perera 97 n.o., Wanindu Hasaranga 24, Samith Patel 2/26)

Dambulla Vikings 152 (19.1) (Niroshan Dickwella 20, Samith Patel 41, Dasun Shanaka 35, Anwar Ali 21, Usman Shinwari 3/16, Binura Fernando 2/41, Thisara Perera 2/23)