Lasith Croosppulle
By M. Shamil Amit
Galle Titans recorded a convincing eight-wicket win over Colombo Strikers in the final match of the group stage of the Lanka Premier League at the R. Premadasa Stadium yesterday, which secured them second spot in the points table.
Crucially it gives the Titans two opportunities of reaching the final, as they will face Dambulla Aura in Qualifier 1 on Thursday.
Even if they lose, they will face the winner of the Eliminator between B-Love Kandy and Jaffna Kings on Thursday,
Galle Titans came into the game needing to win the match by 65 runs to get to the second spot and it turned the other way after they bundled out Colombo Strikers for a low score of just 74 runs.
Needing to reach the target of 75 runs in 11.1 overs they achieved this with ease.
After spinners Tabraiz Shamsi and Seekkuge Prasanna broke the back of the Colombo Strikers batting, opener Lasith Croosppulle was the hero for the Galle Titans batting as he took things under control after they lost two early wickets with the score on 19 in the fourth over.
Croospulle, who made an unbeaten 25-ball knock of 42 inclusive of four boundaries and three sixes, along with Shakib Al Hasan guided the side with the pair associating in an unbroken stand of 56 runs in only 30 balls which paved the way for Galle Titans to race to the target in just 8.3 overs.
Earlier right arm pacie Lahiru Kumara did the early damage when he got rid of the Colombo Strikers openers Pathum Nissanka and Babar Azam who failed again with the score on 19 in the fourth over.
From there on left arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took over as he had the Colombo Strikers batting in tatters when he bagged two scalps in three balls to send them reeling to 37 for 4 in the seventh over.
Nuwanidu Fernando and Mohammad Nawaz put on a brief stand of 26 runs for the fifth wicket before Fernando became Shamsi’s third victim with the score on 63 for 5 and three runs later Shamsi grabbed the wicket of Nawaz to have Colombo Strikers struggling on 68 for 6.
It was pathetic batting by the Colombo Strikers batsmen as they got themselves out due to some rash batting and right arm spinner Seekkuge Prasanna added salt to the wound and almost finished off the tail bagging the wicket of skipper Chamika Karunaratne, Shoriful Islam and Jeffrey Vandersay before Shakib Al Hasan put an end to the Colombo Strikers innings.
They were able to muster a score of only 74 runs which incidentally is the lowest score of the tournament so far following Jaffna Kings 89 also against Galle Titans.
CHIEF SCORES
Colombo Strikers 74 in 15.4 overs (L. Udara 14, N. Dhananjaya 13, N. Fernando 14, M. Nawaz 11, T. Shamsi 4-20, S. Prasanna 3-14, L. Kumara 2-9, S. Al Hasan 1-8)
Galle Titans 75 for 2 in 8.3 overs (L. Croospulle 42*, S. Al Hasan 17*, J. Vandersay 1-18, I. Ahmed 1-26)
