Galle Gladiators took on Colombo Stars in the Eliminator match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2022 on Wednesday. Colombo Stars put in an outstanding performance to register a clinical 7-wicket win.
The Stars restricted the Gladiators to just 108 runs in the first innings, which comprised 18 overs.
The top-three batters, namely Shafiq (4), Kusal Mendis (4), and Lahiru Udara (6) got out on single-digit scores. Sahan Arachige tried to score runs and bring the momentum back but wickets kept falling at the other end.
Middle-order batters such as Fernando (8), Iftikhar Ahmed (5), and Imad Wasim (17) also got out cheaply. But thanks to Arachchige’s valuable knock of 53 off 31 balls, the Gladiators managed to put on a decent total on the scoreboard.
Bowling unit of the Stars shines bright
As for the Colombo Stars’ bowling unit, it was a combined bowling effort. Rajitha was brilliant in the power play, finishing with sensational returns of 2 for 9 in 4 overs. Nabi took 2 for 20, while Howell picked three wickets for 17 runs in 2 overs.
In reply, Colombo Stars also didn’t have a very good start as they lost the first three wickets for 44 runs in 8.1 overs. Madushanka (13 off 27), Dinesh Chandimal (13 off 8), and Charith Asalanka (10 off 14) all were guilty of not converting the starts into big scores.
However, Ravi Bopara and Angelo Mathews then joined forces and formed an unbeaten 65-run partnership for the fourth wicket. The duo helped the team chase down the total in just 16.5 overs. Bopara played an unbeaten knock of 43 runs in 28 balls, while Mathews amassed 20 off 25 balls.
Colombo Stars will now be playing against Kandy Falcons in Qualifier 2 on Thursday.
-Agencies
