As the first week of the SLC Premier League Tournament 2016/17 has come to an end, we take a look at some of the highlights in the six ‘Tier A’ matches which were conducted from the 29th of November to the 5th of December.
Niroshan Dickwella – 183
Two days after returning from Zimbabwe, 23-year old Dickwella opened the batting for NCC and bludgeoned the Bloomfield bowling attack to all parts of the NCC ground in a breath-taking knock of 183 off 155 balls. His knock consisted of 23 fours and a six and scored at a superb rate of 118.06. He was also involved in two century partnerships with his opening buddy, Sandun Weerakkody (125) and senior statesman, Upul Tharanga (133) to set NCC up for a massive first innings score of 443 which eventually helped the hosts to a comprehensive 9-wicket win.
Asela Gunaratne – 158 & 69
After dream Test and ODI debuts in Zimbabwe, Gunarathne returned to his loyal club, Sri Lanka Army Sports Club to face Burgher Recreation Club at the Panagoda Army grounds. Gunaratne walked out to the middle when the score was 116 for 3 and made his 12th first-class ton, 158 off 221 balls to help the Soldiers post 316 and gain a first innings win. Gunaratne’s second innings contribution of 69, which came when the chips were down at 68 for 6, ensured that the hosts’ avoided a major collapse. He is currently the top run-scorer in the league accumulating a total of 227 runs.
Malinda Pushpakumara – 10 wickets
What a game it was for the 29-year old left-arm spinner from Chilaw Marians. He bowled 22 overs in the first innings to bag 6 wickets for just 42 runs while in the second innings he claimed 4 scalps for just 47 runs to help his team get off to a winning start. This is incidentally Pushpakumara’s 14th ten-wicket haul in first-class cricket.
Madhuka Liyanapathiranage – 10 wickets
The 24-year old right-arm off-spinner from Chilaw Marians was all over the Badureliya batting like a rash last weekend when he recorded his fourth 10-for in first-class cricket. He and his senior partner in crime, Malinda Pushpakumara took all 20 wickets to hand the Marians a comfortable 291-run victory. Liyanapathiranage gave away only 28 runs for his 4 wickets in the first innings while he took 6 wickets conceding 36 runs in the second innings.
Dimuth Karunarathne – 149
Sri Lanka’s best Test opening batsman at present has brought his man-of-the-series winning form from Zimbabwe to lead his club, Sinhalese Sports Club to a first innings win over reigning champions, Tamil Union. Karunarathne’s anchoring 149 off 225 balls which had 19 fours guided SSC to a massive first innings score of 503. He was involved in a 201-run stand for the second wicket with Danushka Gunathilake as well.
Kithruwan Vithanage – 125
After being suspended earlier this year, Vithanage 2.0 has returned and made a strong statement to the cricket pundits that he is ready to get back into the national setup. With the added responsibility of captaining the defending champions, Tamil Union, Vithanage slammed his 12th first-class century, 125 off 184 balls with 8 fours and 5 sixes but could not gain a first-innings win over the fancied SSC side at home.
Alankara Asanka – 9 wickets
Captain and main strike bowler for Badureliya, Asanka conceded 206 runs for his match bag of 9 wickets in a losing cause. His five-wicket haul in the first innings restricted the strong Chilaw Marians batting lineup to just 235 runs and returned figures of 4 for 104 in the second innings. Asanka’s off-spinners will play a pivotal role throughout the season for Badureliya.
Tharindu Kaushal – 8 wickets
Despite being unable to bowl the doosra, Tharindu Kaushal proved to be pretty deadly as he bowled NCC to a 9-wicket win over Bloomfield on his home turf. With not much assistance to the spinners from the surface, Kaushal took three late wickets in the first innings while capturing his 28th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket during the second innings.
Nipun Karunanayake – 124
Leading an inexperienced Bloomfield outfit, former Nalandian Karunanayake made a brave effort in the second innings against the star-studded NCC lineup. After being asked to follow-on, the left-handed middle order batsman showed excellent determination and grit to score a terrific 124 off 190 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes to make NCC bat and drag the game to the last half-hour but could not prevent his team from a 9-wicket loss.
Danushka Gunathilaka – 117
He was overlooked for the Zimbabwe tour but made his presence felt with this exceptional knock of 117 from 145 deliveries. Touted as a limited-overs specialist, Gunathilaka registered his 2nd first-class century in 38 matches as he partnered up with his captain Dimuth Karunarathne to help SSC to a first innings win over Tamil Union.
.
Vikum Sanjaya Bandara – 7 wickets
Playing only his 17th match, the raw 24-year old right-arm seamer from the newly promoted BRC outfit produced his best bowling performance, 7 for 102 in first-class cricket. Bandara’s ability to swing the ball both ways at pace makes him a dangerous customer to handle. His spell of 6 for 73 in the first innings enabled the visitors, BRC to dismiss SL Army for 316 in their own backyard. With this performance, Bandara has certainly put his name up for selection for the Sri Lanka tour of South Africa later this month.
Wanindu Hasaranga – 52 & 64
In a low-scoring game at the CCC grounds, 19-year old Wanindu Hasaranga, playing only his 3rd first-class match, showed excellent application and determination at the crease to guide CCC to a 109-run win over Saracens scoring two vital half-centuries. Batting at number 8 in both innings, Hasaranga played with the tail most of the time and ensured his team had enough runs to defend.
