The Colombo Strikers (CS), playing in the final league stage match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023, needed to defeat the Galle Titans (GT) to have a chance of advancing to the playoffs. The Strikers, on the other hand, had a day to forget as they put on the poorest performance in LPL history, which disastrously resulted in their exit from the competition.
The GT, on the other hand, not only won easily but also finished second in the league stage, securing them a spot in Qualifier 1 versus top-seeded Dambulla Aura. Nuwanidu Fernando also put in a stellar performance, stealing the show with a magnificent catch of Liton Das and providing the CS with a bright spot in an otherwise dismal match.
On a typical Colombo sluggish pitch, the Titans’ choice to bowl first paid off brilliantly. Everything seemed to favor the Titans from the toss onward. The hitters for the Strikers had a difficult task because their bowlers had total control. In his two overs of tight bowling, Kasun Rajitha only allowed ten runs to be scored. Both of the openers, Pathum Nissanka and Babar Azam, were taken out by Lahiru Kumara in his two overs, who also bowled a first-over. Iftikhar Ahmed was taken out by Shakib Al Hasan, who kept up the pressure by giving up only eight runs in 3.4 overs.
However, Tabraiz Shamsi’s performance stood out because he was so talented with the ball. The spinner from China, who took four wickets for just twenty runs in his four overs, had a huge influence. Lahiru Udara, Nipun Dhananjaya, Nuwanidu, and Mohammad Nawaz were among his victims. By dismissing Jeffrey Vandersay, Shoriful Islam, and Chamika Karunaratne, Seekkuge Prasanna rendered crucial assistance.
The batting lineup for the Strikers battled a lot against the Titans’ organized and potent bowling attack. No one of their batsmen was able to score more than 15 runs as they were bowled out for a meager 74 runs in 15.4 overs.
Fernando seizes a shocker
The CS encountered an early setback in their chase of the objective when they lost Bhanuka Rajapaksha’s wicket. After Rajapaksha was dismissed, the Bangladeshi batsman Das entered the field to bat with Lasith Croospulle. For Liton, it was a big day because it marked his entry into the LPL 2023. But his debut ended up being less noteworthy because the 28-year-old went out after only scoring one run.
In the fourth over, the CS brought in the right-arm leg spinner Vandersey to further harm the GT’s batting order. Vandersey succeeded in dismissing Das, demonstrating his effectiveness. However, Fernando’s outstanding effort on the boundary is what made this wicket possible.
After scoring just one run in the first three balls, he made the decision to accept the challenge in an effort to shake off the restrictions. Liton tried to hit the young leg spinner as hard as possible over further covers. However, the watchful Fernando, who was manning the long-off line, intervened by pulling off a stunning diving catch. The GT’s second victory came thanks to this catch, which dropped the opposition to a score of 2/19 as they pursued the modest goal of 75 runs.
