CCC, Police SC faceoff in Major Club 50-over final today

Rival captains Ashen Bandara (Police SC) and Sonal Dinusha (CCC) with the Major Club 50-over champion’s trophy that will be awarded to the winner of today’s final

CCC Coach  Ashan Priyanjan

Police SC Coach Nishantha Weerasinghe

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The two clubs that finished on top of their respective groups – Police SC and CCC will meet in the final of the SLC Major Club 50-over tournament at the CCC grounds under lights today.

Police SC and CCC finished the group stage with the identical record of five wins and one loss to top Group A and Group B respectively.

In the two semi-finals these two top sides got the better of Colts and Tamil Union – Police SC beat Colts by 4 wickets, and CCC beat Tamil Union by 68 runs.

Star-studded CCC with as many as 8 national players in their side – Dhananjaya de Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Nishan Madushka, Kamindu Mendis, Lasith Croospulle, Nishan Peiris, Vishwa Fernando, and Nuwan Thushara are heavily favoured to beat Police SC who have 3 – skipper Ashen Bandara, Kusal Perera, and Priyamal Perera.

Despite the low representation of national players in their side, Police SC however cannot be underestimated as they got the better of Colts who had six national caps in their 11. Police SC have players in their ranks who can deliver, but whether they can sustain the amount of experience the CCC side brings to the table will be the key factor.

For Police SC to get the better of CCC they will need one or two outstanding knocks from their batters. A long innings from Kusal Perera, the most experienced international cricketer in their side, is overdue. With a total to defend Police SC have the bowlers who can run through the batting as they did against Colts.

CCC on the other hand possess a very strong batting line up where virtually every batsman from 1-7 have made runs. Opener Nishan Madushka tops the list having made the highest individual score in the tournament – 174 against Bloomfield in a group match. The way CCC extracted themselves after losing their first two wickets for 35 to top 300 in the semi-final against Tamil Union goes to show the depth they have in their batting.

CCC were beaten by Ace Capital CC in last year’s final and will be yearning to put that record right this time around having made it to another final in successive years.

“Police SC is not a bad side, they have some good domestic players and a few national players like Ashen Bandara and Kusal Perera. Everything depends on how you play on the day. I have the confidence that we will do well. This year the way our players have performed I think we have the edge with the experience we carry,” said CCC Coach Ashan Priyanjan.

“I am fortunate to have so many national players in the side. It’s good for the team as well as for the juniors. We have a good dressing room atmosphere. With regard to the combination we may have to leave out 2-3 national players. I hope they take it up sportingly because all of them have played international cricket and have a good mind set.”

Missing from the CCC squad are national players Wanindu Hasaranga and his elder brother Chaturanga de Silva (both injured), fast bowler Asitha Fernando (playing county cricket in England) and Isuru Udana.

“The absence of these players is not felt because the players who are performing for us are the juniors who have always put their hands up whenever the national players have failed,” said Priyanjan.

Police SC owe their success to the excellent bonding of the team.

“We practice well and each player supports one another. There is a lot of understanding amongst them and we are playing as a team. The Captain Ashen Bandara has a good understanding and he is a player who makes a lot of decisions out of the box,” said Police SC Coach Nishantha Weerasinghe.

Police SC’s bowling has been weakened by three of their fast bowlers being on the injury list. 

“It’s a big loss for the team because they are able to get the early breakthroughs. Somehow we have to manage with the spinners and the part time bowlers to restrict the strong CCC batting. Here we have to plan tactically to get through the overs.”

“We have a good all round side if not for the injuries to the fast bowlers. Our batting is also capable of scoring over 300 in a match which we have done in the group stage. We have given a batting plan to the players and they are playing according to it. We always play to win. We know that CCC is a far better and stronger side. We have nothing to lose. We will go as underdogs,” said Weerasinghe.