Brathwaite 4-fer floors Galle

West Indian Carlos Brathwaite (R) took 4 for 14

A four-wicket haul by Carlos Brathwaite headlined an easy five-wicket win for the Kandy Falcon over the Galle Gladiators in Hambantota last evening. 

Brathwaite ran through the Gladiators top order with his medium-pace, and set the tone for their second win in as many games this tournament. 

UAE seamer Zahoor Khan had opener Thanuka Dabare out caught and bowled with the second ball of the match, and the powerplay did not improve for the Gladiators,  as Brathwaite, who shared the new ball, had Azam Khan slashing to third-man, for the first of his four wickets.

Nuwanindu Fernando, Ifthikar Ahmed and Kusal Mendis all followed soon after as the  Gladiators collapsed to 28 for 5. The West-Indian very nearly had a fifth, but had a chance off Imad Wasim put down behind the wicket.

As good as the bowling was, the fielding on display by the Kandy side was not up to scratch; giving 22 year-old Movin Subasinghe two lives in the field. 

Subasinghe struggled early on, as he attempted several ungainly slogs, but settled down along with Wasim and stitched together a useful 65-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
He managed to connect two big sixes off Wanindu Hasaranga but was eventually caught at long-on off the returning Zahoor Khan for 40. 

Wasim on the other end made his way to a laboured 34 off 39 balls but fell trying to up the ante in the death overs.

The Gladiators’ lower-order could not add a great deal more to the total, leaving Kandy with a straightforward target of 122. 

Centurion from game one, Andre Fletcher, got the chase off to a rollicking start with four early boundaries including a towering leg-side six, before Nuwan Pradeep had him edging behind to Azam Khan

Pathum Nissanka , however, was quick to put a dampener on the Gladiator’s hopes of dragging themselves back into the game, as he took 16 off the next over bowled by Wahab Riaz, which included an imperious lofted six down the ground. 

Kamindu Mendis at number three got going with back to back boundaries off Nuwan Thushara and even though Nissanka and Ashen Bandara fell after the powerplay, Mendis continued at a steady clip and his 44 ensured the chase was completed without undue difficulty.

Scores:
Galle Gladiators: 121 for 8 in 20 overs ( M Subasingha 40, I Wasim 34, C Brathwaite 4/14, Z Khan 2/26)
Kandy Falcons: 123 for 5 in 15 overs ( K Mendis 44, P Nissanka 22, A Fletcher 20, N Pradeep 2/34)