Team Blue defeated Team Red by 56 runs in the second match of the Dialog-SLC Invitational T20 League 2021.
This low-scoring encounter got underway with the Blue team skipper, Angelo Perera, winning the toss and opting to bat first.
It was not the best batting show that this team could put up, but luckily they had enough on board to allow their bowling wizards to take control.
The Blue team was in a bit of a bother as they slipped to 5 for 69 in just under 12 overs. Spinners Akila Dananjaya and Seekkuge Prasanna were the prime wicket-takers for Team Red. Dananjaya bowled a brilliant spell to bag 3 wickets for 27 runs while the soldier, Seekkuge Prasanna, picked up 2 scalps for 34.
It was the national discard, Ashen Bandara, who set out to make a statement that he still belongs to play top-quality cricket, who came for Team Blue’s rescue. Bandara scored a brisk 45 runs in 25 balls to put up, which proved to be a challenging total on this surface.
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He was well-supported by Sahan Aarachchige who struck 36 runs off 31 balls.
It was an abysmal display of batting from Team Red who were wrapped up for just 92 runs. However, one cannot take away any credit from the Blue team bowlers. The young pack of bowlers complemented each other well as they managed to keep a strong, experienced and deep batting line up to a humiliating score.
The spinners kept the pressure intact and strangled the batsman so much that they tried to create shots out of literally unplayable deliveries. The ground fielding of Team Blue was also a vital ingredient in this coming-from-behind victory.
Left-arm magician Praveen Jayawickrama was the pick of the bowlers with excellent figures of 2 for 12 in his 4 overs while skipper Angelo Perera bagged 2 wickets.
Angelo Perera also deserves a special mention for the way he led this team. He was always aggressive with his field-set and rotated his bowlers very well.
