Dambulla bounce back after defeat to win

Monday, 31 March 2025 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Dambulla’s Akila Dananjaya took 10 wickets or more back-to-back in a match

Colombo’s Kusal Mendis was unlucky to be out for 92 after a first innings century

Jaffna opener Ravindu Rasantha is all smiles after completing his double century

Sri Lankan star Kusal Mendis congratulates Dhananjaya de Silva after Dambulla’s win

4th National Super League Tournament

Rasantha double hundred in vain as Kandy hold out

Dambulla bounced back after losing their opening match of the 4th National Super League Tournament to beat Colombo by eight wickets at the Rangiri Dambulla Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Dambulla had their versatile Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya to thank for producing the win. For the second successive match, Dananjaya took a haul of 10 wickets or more, finishing with figures of 10/195 to follow his 12/163 against Galle the previous weekend.

Colombo, trailing Dambulla by 100 runs on the first innings, resumed their second innings at 221-7 on the fourth and final day. A lot depended on Sri Lanka wicket-keeper and batsman Kusal Mendis, who resumed his innings on 86. But Dananjaya broke through in the first over, dismissing overnight batsman Pramod Madushan for four and Mendis for a well-constructed 92 off the next, to bring a swift end to the Colombo innings at 232, finishing with figures of 7/104. Dambulla, left a target of 133 to chase, reached it quite comfortably losing two wickets. Mendis, who made 119 in the first innings, missed out on a second hundred in the match, hitting 8 fours in his 130-ball innings.

Former Thomian and Sri Lanka Under-19 cricketer Ravindu Rasantha scored his second double century in 20 first-class matches, but Kandy held out to draw their fixture against Jaffna, picking up first innings points at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium.

23-year-old Rasantha, showing superb technique and concentration to play long innings, stuck it out in the middle for three minutes under nine hours to remain unconquered on 206, facing 351 balls and hitting 26 fours. It came on the back of a career-best 244 scored for Colts against Ace Capital CC in a Major Club 3-Day game in January. Yesterday’s knock more than made up for him missing out on a century in the first innings when he was dismissed for 97 and enabled Jaffna to declare their second innings closed at 491-9, setting Kandy a target of 361 to chase for victory.

Kandy, powered by half-centuries from Pathum Nissanka (51 off 55 balls, 8 fours) and Captain Sahan Arachchige (52* off 113 balls, 4 fours) and Sohan de Livera (52* off 118 balls, 4 fours), who were involved in an unbroken stand of 104, settled for a draw at 197-4.

Results

nAt Dambulla: Dambulla beat Colombo by 8 wickets

Colombo 300 and 232 (o/n 221-7) (Navod Paranavithana 32, Asitha Wanninayake 20, Dhananjaya Lakshan 25, Kusal Mendis 92, Kavin Bandara 44, Mohamed Shiraz 3/42, Akila Dananjaya 7/104)

Dambulla 400 and 133-2 (Lasith Croospulle 47, Ron Chandraguptha 45, Nishan Madushka 33*)

nAt R. Premadasa Stadium: Match drawn (Kandy take 1st innings points)

Jaffna 201 and 491-9 decl. (o/n 378-6) (Ravindu Rasantha 206*, Shevon Daniel 23, Angelo Mathews 51, Niroshan Dickwella 113, Tharindu Rathnayake 24, Lahiru Kumara 2/45, Shiran Fernando 3/89)

Kandy 332 and 197-4 (Pathum Nissanka 51, Sahan Arachchige 52*, Sohan de Livera 52*)

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