Jaffna Kings (Source: Twitter)
The league stage of the Lanka Premier League 2022 got concluded on Monday (December 19). Here's a brief report on both matches that transpired in Colombo.
Match 19: Jaffna Kings vs Colombo Stars
Batting first, Colombo Stars lost their key batters, Niroshan Dickwella (0), Dinesh Chandimal (0) and Charith Asalanka (6) early. The flurry of wickets of key batters put them under the pump.
It took the knocks from Nishan Madushka (35) and Ravi Bopara (20) to put the team back on track. In the end, Dominic Drakes was terrific with a knock of 38 off 20 to provide a flourish and help the Stars post a competitive 128. Thisara Perera and Shoaib Malik picked two wickets each.
In reply, the proficient opening pair, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Avishka Fernando provided a glorious start to the Kings. They added 105 runs for the first wicket before Gurbaz was dismissed for 69 off 40.
Then, Fernando remained unbeaten on 40, as the Kings sealed the chase with more than four overs to spare. They finished the league stage in the second position in the table.
Brief Scores:
Colombo Stars - 128/9 (20)
Nishan Madushka 35 (44), Dominic Drakes 38 (20);
Thisara Perera 2/14, Shoaib Malik 2/4
Jaffna Kings - 131/2 (15.5)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 69 (40), Avishka Fernando 40* (38)
Dominic Drakes 1/30, Jeffrey Vandersay 1/33
Result: Jaffna Kings won by 8 wcikets
 "Tejas Rathi")
