Vital game for defending champions Dambulla

• Chance for Kandy to grab lead in NSL 4-day standings

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Defending champion Dambulla and Colombo who lie at the bottom of the table clash in an important match of the National Super League 4-day tournament at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium from today.

For both teams this fixture is important if they are to keep themselves with a chance of finishing in the top two of the league to qualify for the final.

The advantage with Dambulla is that they have a game in hand and hold onto a 6.400 points lead over Colombo. In Colombo’s favour is that after losing their first four matches they managed to find their feet and record their first win in the tournament by piling up 592-8 declared in reply to Jaffna’s 491. For Colombo to be in contention they must carry forward that win for the rest of the tournament, as they have fallen far behind in comparison to the other teams.

With table toppers Galle having a free weekend, second placed Kandy has a good chance of grabbing the top spot once again when they meet third placed Jaffna at the R. Premadasa Stadium beginning today. Both these teams suffered defeats last weekend at the hands of Galle and Colombo respectively and will be looking to redeem themselves.

Kandy trails Galle by 15.76 points and they will require an outright win against Jaffna to close up the gap. Jaffna on the other hand will also be looking to grab full points to keep them in contention for a place in the final. 

The four teams involved in the matches commencing today will be strengthened by the return of Sri Lanka’s ODI cricketers following the conclusion of the series in Bangladesh.

Kandy will see the return of their Captain Pathum Nissanka, Vice-Captain Sahan Arachchige and all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne, Dambulla will have the services of spinner Akila Dananjaya, Jaffna will welcome inform batsman Janith Liyanage and fast bowler Pramod Madushan, and Colombo will be strengthened by batsmen Avishka Fernando and Charith Asalanka.

That the national cricket selectors are giving priority to performances in the National Super League 4-day tournament is evident by the inclusion of Galle’s off-spinner Nishan Peiris who has been drafted into the 17-member Test squad for the two Tests against Bangladesh beginning on Friday. Peiris is the leading wicket-taker with 24 wickets (avg. 14.29) and one of the reasons why Galle are on top of the pile in the standings. Top order batsman Lahiru Udara and fast bowler Chamika Gunasekara are also part of the squad because of their performances in the NSL-4 day tourney.