John Keells win MCA Super Premier T20 in a heart-stopper

Old Thomian cricket and rugger player, Sachitha Jayatillake, guided John Keells Group to a heart-stopping four-run win over Mode Engineering in the 29th Singer-MCA Super Premier League T20 tournament 2022 Final, which concluded on Saturday at the MCA grounds.

Jayatillake scored a belligerent 62 runs in 39 balls, hitting seven mighty sixes in the process to rescue John Keells, who had been sent in and placed in a perilous position at 22 for 4 in 4.3 overs. 

Jayatillake joined Kevin Bandara at this stage and tore the Mode Engineering bowling attack apart, as the pair put on 94 runs in 59 balls for the fifth wicket to propel the score to 116. 

Pacie Arul Pragasam was brought back in the 15th over and he immediately broke the partnership by getting Bandara out for 42 runs in 33 balls, inclusive of two sixes and two fours. 
After the departure of Jayatillake, the rest of John Keells’ batsmen fell by the wayside, all out for 156 in 19.5 overs.
Mode Engineering too got off to a shaky start, losing four wickets for 31 runs in 6.3 overs.

Skipper Dushan Hemantha joined Sasindu Nanayakkara and took them to safety by putting on 70 runs in 32 balls, thus ticking the scoreboard to 101.    

Hemantha’s quick-fire innings was a treat to watch; 54 runs in 20 balls, inclusive of seven towering sixes.
Hemantha, going for a big hit, fell to a good catch taken by Akila Dhananjaya in the deep off Malinda Shehan.
A run-a-ball, 25-run stand for the sixth wicket between Sandakan Pathirana (11) and Ishitha Dew (10) took the score to 124.

At that stage, Mode Engineering needed 33 runs in 24 balls with three wickets in hand. 
Skipper Ishan Jayaratne bowled a brilliant penultimate over, giving away only five singles and getting the wicket of Dew.

With Mode Engineering needing 12 runs to win, batting hero Jayatillake bowled the last over and gave away only four runs in his first four deliveries. Pragasam on strike hit him for a boundary in the fifth ball, taking the total to 152. In the final delivery, Pragasam swung again, but this time skiing the ball to Ahan Wickramasinghe.
Match Referee Wendall La Brooy had no hesitation in picking Sachitha Jayatillake as his Man of the Match.
Two other special awards were presented, with Madhawa Warnapura from HNB (six wickets in three matches) being the best bowler and Sameen Kandanarachchi from Sampath Bank (94 runs in two innings) being the best batsman.

The awards were given away by the Chief Guest, Marketing Manager, Electronics, Singer Sri Lanka PLC, Piyum Jayatillake, President Nalin Wickramesinghe, Senior VP and Chairman, Tournament Committee, Mahesh de Alwis, and General Secretary, Tarindra Kaluperuma (all from MCA).

Chief Scores:

John Keells 156 in 19.5 overs (Kevin Bandara 42, Sachitha Jayatillake 62; Arul Pragasam 2/26, Sandakan Pathirana 2/36, Theeshan Vidushan 2/26) 

Mode Engineering 152/9 in 20 overs (Sasindu Nanayakkara 28, Dushan Hemantha 54; Ishan Jayaratne 3/14, Malinga Amarasinghe 2/23, Sachitha Jayatillake 2/25)

- Bruce Maurice