Scintillating Thirimanne & Udawatte guide Colombo and Kandy to wins

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Super Four Provincial Limited Over Tournament got underway today in dampened weather conditions in and around Colombo, with Team Colombo and Team Kandy recording wins on the Duckworth-Lewis(D/L) method. 

SLC Super Provincial One Day Tournament – Colombo vs Dambulla

The defending champions, Colombo will take on Dambulla in the first match….

Colombo vs Dambulla 

Team Colombo skipper Thisara Perera won the toss and elected to field first after rain in the lead up to the game reduced it to a 40 -over encounter at the R. Premadasa International Stadium.

Kusal Perera came out all guns blazing and made a whirlwind 59 off 40 deliveries before Dilruwan Perera removed him to peg things back for Colombo. Ashan Priyanjan held the middle order together with an almost run-a-ball half century while the discarded all-rounded Milinda Siriwardena added the much needed impetus with a 29 ball unbeaten half century.

What’s to come for the Sri Lanka A, Emerging and U19 teams

With the national team set to be busy with plenty of international commitments…

Vishwa Fernando, Thisara Perera and Dilruwan Perera picked up two wickets apiece for Colombo as Team Dambulla set them a challenging 271 for victory in 40 overs.

A couple of early blows pushed Colombo on the back foot but another discarded player from the Sri Lankan set up Lahiru Thirimanne seemed to be in brilliant touch and showed glimpses of what he promised early on in his career. None of the other players managed to make any substantial scores as Thirimanne batted on and on before Colombo were left with 58 to get off six overs.

Skipper Thisara Perera then took on Sachithra Serasinghe in an over that swung the pendulum in favor of Team Colombo as he hit 26 runs of the over with 3 fours and 2 sixes in it. Thisara fell in the next over but Thirimanne reached his century and made sure Colombo were ahead on D/L to secure a thrilling four run victory as they ended on 262/6 in 39 overs.

Kandy vs Galle 

The encounter between Team Kandy and Team Galle played at the P. Sara Oval was also reduced to a 36 over affair after heavy showers ahead of the start time, before Kandy skipper Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field first.

Half centuries for Sri Lanka Test specialist Roshen Silva and youngster Sammu Ashan set Team Galle up for a daunting total, but Isuru Udana pulled things back brilliantly for Kandy with a five wicket haul, to bowl Team Galle out for -a still competitive- 250.

The enterprising Niroshan Dickwella’s 58-ball 75 and an opening stand of 137 inside 20 overs with Mahela Udawatte got Team Kandy off to a flying start in their run chase, before Udawatte took over the role of the aggressor after the fall of Dickwella to guide Kandy home by 28 runs on the D/L method.

Udawatte took the Galle bowlers to cleaners before he eventually fell for 116 off just 96 deliveries inclusive of 14 fours and two towering sixes. Angelo Mathews watched Udawatte go berserk from the best seat in the house, as he remained unbeaten on 20* when bad light halted play with his team ahead by 28 runs on D/L at 217/2 in 30 overs.