Adapt or perish was the mantra that Sri Lanka Emerging XI came into this game after two humiliating losses in the T20s.
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A team that looked pretty solid and classy during the four-day leg of the tour looked clueless and disappointing in the first two T20 games. So, a positive end to the tour was what the boys from the Island nation were looking for and a masterpiece knock against the final opponents Gloucestershire from Nuwanidu Fernando delivered the goods for them.
A man on a mission is exactly the statement to describe Fernando tonight. 14 fours, 4 sixes and a strike rate in excess of 185 capped off a good tour for him which he began with back-to-back fifties in the longer format. Fernando who previously had a highest score of 61 in this format did show signs of an explosive batsman before but it’s fair to say that he really reached a turning point in his career tonight. An unbeaten 126 off 67 deliveries in England for a 22 year old from Sri Lanka is an incredible feat that deserves a lot of credit.
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Nishan Madushka (20) and Nipun Dananjaya (31) provided ample support to the centurion as Sri Lanka Emerging XI finished up with 205 for the loss of 4 wickets. A win to end the tour for them was just around the corner and they needed something special from the bowlers in the 2nd half of the game to pull it off. That special feat came for them in the form of Nipun Ransika who led the charge with 4 vital wickets and skipper Dhananjaya Lakshan who took 2 wickets. A disciplined performance with the ball in hand gave the youngsters from Sri Lanka a truly deserving 67-run victory over Gloucestershire to end the tour on a high.
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After 3 four day matches and 3 T20 matches, a nearly month-long tour comes to an end for Sri Lanka Emerging XI. This was a tour that had a lot of positives for them especially in the batting front starting from Nishan Madushka’s 269 and ending with Fernando’s magnificent century.
With the ball in hand, Dunith Wellalage took a handy 5 wicket haul in the longer format while Ransika showed some fire with a four-wicket haul in the shorter format. All these achievements and milestones will give these players the confidence to carry on and achieve bigger and better things as they get ready for much bigger challenges in the future.
Toss : Sri Lanka Emerging XI
SL Emerging XI : 205/4 (20)
Nuwanidu Fernando 126*(67), Nipun Dananjaya 31(22)
Josh Shaw 1/23, Luke Charlesworth 1/32
Gloucestershire: 138 (16.3)
Ben Wells 42(29), Tom Price 25(14)
Nipun Ransika 4/11, Dhananjaya Lakshan 3/29
