flighted full on fourth stump and skids on, batsman goes to slog sweep and misses. Middle and off stump are knocked back and the bails light up on their way to the earth. Jaffna Stallions with a brilliant fightback in the field to win by 37 runs.
Stallions vs Viiking, 2nd Semi-final at Hambantota, LPL, Dec 14 2020 - Match Result
That's it from us today. So the #3 and #4 seed have advanced to the final. Who'd have guessed that at the start of the semis? Come back on Wednesday to see whether Jaffna Stallions or Galle Gladiators will lift the championship trophy. Until then, I'm Peter Della Penna. Take care!
Man of the Match is Johnson Charles: "It was a good pitch but it definitely was holding a bit for the slow bowlers so you couldn't really hit through the line against the spinners. But all in all it was a good pitch. At the start I didn't [read Hasaranga], I just move with what my eyes see and it's working."
Jaffna Stallions captain Thisara Perera: "I was a little worried. We had a lot of experiments [in previous games] but we went back to full strength. [Runouts] will happen in any cricket, even T20Is or 50-cricket, but at the end of the day we won. As a bowling unit, we've done a really good job. In this kind of weather and conditions, it's tough to grip the ball. Wanindu Hasaranga, he's doing a great job for us."
Dambulla Viiking captain Dasun Shanaka: "I think we did really good in our bowling, especially Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha. Hopefully they'll carry this momentum into the international matches. The two runouts cost the game for us. If they were not, the game would have been different. 165 was gettable on this wicket. Hasaranga is a matchwinner. There are a lot of positives in this team, especially the way Dickwella kept behind the stumps." Shanaka then names basically every single player in his squad as having had a good tournament.
Matt: "Seems crazy that the Kings and Viikings (the top 2 teams in the group stage) will not make it to the final!"
10.40 pm A topsy-turvy semi-final. Jaffna were way in front the first 10 overs, then looked like they may have bungled the victory with a significant stumble in the second half of their batting. But the bowlers ensured this was a far easier win on paper than it really should have been. Dambulla with a very weak fight once the third wicket went down. They lost 5 for 34 in a middle phase, 8 for 54 in all to end the match. Once Dickwella fell, the innings more resembled Humpty Dumpty. Credit to the tournament's leading wicket-taker Hasaranga with the golden arm at the bowling crease and Usman Shinwari with the golden arm at short third man creating multiple runouts to hasten the collapse. Jaffna Stallions now move on to join Galle Gladiators in the final on Wednesday.
Chaturanga to bowl the final over. Mathematically over already with 38 needed to win.
yorker on middle, driven to mid-off.
full length ball on the stumps, slapped through the leg side.
dropped! Or did it not carry regardless? Slower ball on a length on fifth stump, batsman slashes at this and edges it but it flutters just short of the keeper, taken on a half-volley.
wide yorker, Charles lets this go through his legs for a bye to deep fine leg.
slower ball lands on a good length on the legs, batsman way out in front trying to heave this to leg.
attempted yorker into the legs, can't whip this away.
full length on the stumps, flicked along the ground to mid-on.
good length ball slides down leg. Will have to rebowl again.
bouncer over the stumps, goes to heave this for the leg side and is late. Square leg umpire Hannibal says it was too high to play. Bonus ball to come.
short on off stump, flat-bat slapped to mid-off fielded on a bounce to who else but Shinwari. He relays into the non-striker's stumps and Rajitha beats the throw by an inch. Nearly a third runout off his arm.
full on off, tries to shovel this over mid-off in the ring but doesn't get the elevation, Shinwari has been a magnet for the ball in the field and he backpedals from the ring to take this catch with palms facing into the body at rib height.
length ball on the stumps, tries to heave this over midwicket but gets a thick top edge that swirls over deep fine leg 10 yards over the rope clearing the LCD ad boards and sending the ground staff scattering.
full length ball wide outside off, carves this elegantly high over extra cover.
length ball on fourth stump, skies a heave toward deep midwicket. Fielder Avishka Fernando is struggling to place this in the lights, dives left at the last moment after tracking it along the rope and never got a hand to it. Should've been a catch but technically not a drop since he never got flesh to it. Bounces over for four.
Not sure what point is in blocking out balls now. Might as well go down in a blaze of glory. 50-run loss is as good as a 5-run loss when you're in a semi-final.
flighted full on fifth stump, defended on the front foot. Wicket maiden, his second maiden of the tourney.
finally hacks at a full length ball wide on sixth stump, but it caroms into his feet.
another watchful prod to a good length ball.
full and defended again.
flighted full on fifth stump, prods forward to keep out the hat-trick ball.
Rajitha comes out on a hat-trick ball. Hasaranga took a wicket last ball of his previous over.
2W | ||||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
1W | ||||
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Sooriyawewa, Hambantota | |
Toss | Dambulla Viiking, elected to field first |
Series | |
Season | 2020/21 |
Player Of The Match | |
Series result | Jaffna Kings advanced |
Match days | 14 December 2020 - night (20-over match) |
Umpires | |
TV Umpire | |
Reserve Umpire | |
Match Referee |
Over 20 • DV 128/10