CCC carry too much firepower for Panadura SC

Monday, 16 June 2025 01:51 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Win Major Clubs T20 final played under lights for first time

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

The CCC on their home turf crowned themselves as the new SLC Major Clubs T20 champions when they defeated Panadura SC by six wickets in the final played under lights for the first time at the CCC grounds yesterday.

Panadura SC, who came into the final defeating defending champions NCC in the semi-final, put up a challenging total of 172-8, but CCC, with eight national players in their ranks, proved too good and came up trumps.

Panadura SC, who were invited to bat first, owed a great deal of their total to Vishen Halambage, who has been their mainstay in the tournament and the reason why they had made it to the final. The 20-year-old right-handed opener scored his fourth half-century of the tournament (73 off 37 balls, 5 fours, 6 sixes). Two of those fifties came against NCC – 83 in the group match and 55 in the semi-final – both scored at this venue, which eliminated the defending champions from the tournament.

Halambage set the pace for his team after they had lost their first four wickets for 32 inside the first powerplay. He stitched together a stand of 64 off 31 balls with his Captain, Dushan Hemantha (16). After his dismissal, it was Vishwa Lahiru (20 off 18) and Senitha Halambage (36* off 17, 3 fours, 3 sixes) who took Panadura SC past the 150-run mark with a face-saving partnership of 55 off 29 balls.

Sri Lanka fast bowler Vishwa Fernando made the initial breakthrough for CCC with two wickets in his first spell, and spinner Chaturanga de Silva took wickets in the middle overs despite being expensive.

CCC suffered an early setback when they lost Sri Lanka opener Nishan Madushka to the first ball of the innings when he was castled by left-arm spinner Nimesh Vimukthi. But Lasith Croospulle and Dulnith Sigera put CCC back on track with a 106-run partnership off 68 balls for the second wicket.

Player of the Final Croospulle was in his element, taking the fight to the Panadura SC bowlers with a power-packed knock of 78 off 38 balls (6 fours, 5 sixes). Sigera proved an ideal foil with 38 off 34 balls (4 fours, 1 six). Although CCC lost both batsmen, they had enough firepower in their ranks to top the Panadura SC total.

Brothers Wanindu Hasaranga, who led CCC, and Chaturanga de Silva, with an unbroken stand of 27 off 15 balls, saw CCC home and dry with 14 balls to spare. Chaturanga ended the match by hitting Nimesh Vimukthi for two sixes in the 18th over.

Panadura SC paid a heavy price for poor catching and ground fielding and, to a certain extent, were handicapped by the wet ball due to the dew factor.

Scores:

Panadura SC 172-8 (20) (Vishen Halambage 73, Vishwa Lahiru 20, Senitha Halambage 36*, Vishwa Fernando 2/7, Chaturanga de Silva 2/26)

CCC 174-4 (17.4) (Lasith Croospulle 78, Dulnith Sigera 38, Wanindu Hasaranga 25*, Chaturanga de Silva 20*)