Haris, Hasaranga shine in B-Love Kandy’s big win

Wanindu Hasaranga took 6 for 9, the best ever figures in an LPL match

By M. Shamil Amit

Wanindu Hasaranga returned the best ever bowling figures in a Lanka Premier League match after Mohammad Haris scored his second half-century of the season as B-Love Kandy dumped defending champions Jaffna Kings out of the competition in the play-off Eliminator at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday.

 
Hasaranga’s 6 for 9 also took him to the top of the wicket-takers chart at this year’s LPL, while Haris’ 49-ball 79 gave B-Love Kandy, put into bat first, an imposing score to defend of 189. 
Jaffna Kings in their pursuit were always behind the game, losing their top four wickets with the score on 49 runs in the seventh over and tottering on 71 for 4 at the halfway stage of the innings.

Despite some resistance put in by the fifth wicket pair of Shoaib Malik and David Miller, who together added 52 runs for the fifth wicket when they separated with the score on 101, losing two further wickets for the addition of six runs.

Malik was the Kings’ last hope to keep their campaign alive, but with the pressure building, a wild swat outside off-stump was caught by Mathews at cover, ending any hope of the defending champions keeping their campaign alive. 

Hasaranga, who had taken 4 wickets for 9 runs in his first three overs, then dismissed the final two batters, to bowl out Jaffna Kings for 127 runs. 
B-Love Kandy, invited to take first lease of the wicket, lost their first wicket in the fourth ball of the innings, but recovered thanks to Mohammad Haris.
He shared a 68-run partnership in just 39 balls for the second wicket with Dinesh Chandimal, who hit 41 in 24 balls with six boundaries and a six, and this was followed with a brief stand of 22 runs for the third wicket with skipper Wanindu Hasaranga.

A 55-run stand in 33 balls for the fourth wicket with Kamindu Mendis followed, as Kandy kept up the momentum heading into the death overs. 
Haris was the fifth B-Love Kandy wicket to fall in the 18th over, but not before he had shared another brief 30-run stand for with Asif Ali which helped B-Love Kandy to end their innings with a formidable score of 188 for 8.  

B-Love Kandy will now take on Galle Titans on August 19 (Saturday) at 7.30 p.m. to decide who will clash with Dambulla Aura in the final scheduled to be played on August 20 under floodlights at the same venue.

B-Love Kandy 188 for 8 in 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 79, Dinesh Chandimal 41, Wanindu Hasaranga 19, Kamindu Mendis 17, Asif Ali 15: Nuwan Thushara 4 for 40, Maheesh Theekshana 2 for 37, Asela Gunaratne 2 for 41)

Jaffna Kings 127 in 17.2 overs (Shoaib Malik 31, Chris Lynn 19, Rahmanullah Gurbaz 19, Maheesh Theekshana 15: Wanindu Hasaranga 6 for 9)