Pace heats up as league phase draws to close

Thursday, 3 April 2025 02:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

4th National Super League tournament

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Kandy and Colombo both missed opportunities to topple defending champions Galle from the top of the table when they failed to grab maximum points from their respective matches played last weekend.

Kandy managed only first innings points from Jaffna which was insufficient to displace Galle, while Colombo suffered an eight-wicket defeat at the hands of Dambulla.

Despite these reverse fortunes, the field is still clear for any of the five teams to make it to the top two to qualify for the final.

Galle holds a five-point gap over the rest of the field but all that can change with one result because Dambulla, Kandy and Colombo are all bunched together with less than a point separating them.

Jaffna are the only team without even a first innings win and they have a lot of work to do in their remaining games to lift themselves from the bottom of the table.

The matches starting today will be the last for some time because the tournament takes a break for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year and will resume on 20 April which will be the final weekend of matches of the league stage.

Table toppers Galle have a very good opportunity of securing a place in the final when they take on wooden spoonists Jaffna at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Cricket Stadium, Hambantota. The other game between Kandy and Dambulla at the R. Premadasa Cricket Stadium should turn out to be a blockbuster with both teams in the hunt for a place in the final.

For Kandy who are currently lying third it is imperative they try and gain maximum points out of this contest because it will be their final league game, whereas second placed Dambulla has another game in hand. Fourth placed Colombo has a free weekend.

Dambulla’s trump card has been versatile spinner Akila Dananjaya who’s had two ten-wicket match bags in successive matches and plays a key role in their bowling line-up. He is currently the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 22 wickets taken at a cost of 16.27. If the NSL tournament is anything to go by as far as national selection is concerned, then Dananjaya is making a serious statement to the national selectors with his performances thus far.

On a similar tone, two other young uncapped batters Kamil Mishara and Ravindu Rasantha, both 23 years of age are the leading lights in the batting. Rasantha scored the first double century of the ongoing tournament last weekend and is easily the highest run scorer with 423 runs at an average of 141. Mishara with scores of 158* and 172 in the first two matches is second highest with 366 runs (avg. 91.50).

With only two weekends of matches left to be played either side of the New Year, the pace is certain to heat up as teams vie to finish within the top two of the final league standings.

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