Jeffrey Vandersay was on cloud nine today as he not only won his team a crucial match with his fantastic bowling to get them through to the Playoff of the Lanka premier League 2021 but also achieved his career-best figures in T20 cricket.
The figures of 6-25 from the leg-break bowler are not only his first five-wicket haul in the shortest format, but they are also now the best figures in the two-season long history of the premier T20 league of Sri Lanka. He got past Pakistan Mohammad Amir’s figures of 5/21 which he had achieved in the last season.
The leg spinner was introduced in the very first over of the innings by Colombo Stars skipper Dhananjaya de Silva as he wanted to take wickets to defend the total of 182. Though not in the first over, but in his second and the team’s third over, Vandersay fetched his skipper, not one but two wickets.
Strangely though he was removed from the attack and this was the same time that Kandy Warriors batters Charith Asalanka and Ravi Bopara started building a partnership. It was only in the ninth over that Vandersay was reintroduced. And right in that very, the leggie did the trick and broke the 54 run stand by removing Asalanka.
Once the stand was broken, the Warriors just couldn’t get back on track thereafter. Seekkuge Prasanna then removed two players in the 11th over and the Warriors were reduced to 95/5. Another 30 run stand developed between Kamindu Mendis and Asela Gunaratne to push the Warriors to 122 in 15 overs.
Just as it seemed that a match was developing out of this, Naveen-ul-Haq, the Afghan import for the Stars struck in the 16th over and removed Gunaratne. N Vimukthi also got run out in that very over which meant that it was almost over for the Warriors and only formalities were left.
Vandersay was once again called in for his last over and boy did he cashed it in, removing all the remaining three wickets and getting his name registered in LPL history books.
Earlier in the evening, after losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Stars rode on great showing from their experienced campaigners in Kusal Perera, skipper de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal as all three were among runs to push the team past 180. While Perera scored 58 off 38 and de Silva made 40 off 28 balls, Chandimal, the leading run-scorer in the league now, remained unbeaten on 44 off 29 balls.
With this win, the Stars qualified for the Eliminator which they will play against Dambulla Giants on December 19.