Ben McDermott top-scored for Colombo Kaps with 71 off 39 balls
Wanuja Sahan (right) kept the pressure on Kandy Royals with 2/8 off 4 overs
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
Chasing a 200-plus score in the fourth innings on a wicket where three teams had passed the 200-run mark was certainly going to be tricky and so it proved when Kandy Royals collapsed in a heap losing seven wickets for 42 to be bowled out for 135 against Colombo Kaps who won the LPL Eliminator by 68 runs in the second match played at the R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium yesterday.
Colombo Kaps will meet Galle Gallants in Qualifier 2 tomorrow (7) for a place in the final.
Lahiru Udara the tournament’s leading run-getter once again set the tone for Kandy Royals’ chase with a rapid 50 off 36 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes), but once he fell it was a procession of wickets tumbling resulting in Kandy Royals’ elimination from the tournament. It was the spell by Player of the Match Wanuja Sahan (2/8 off 4 overs) that resulted in the downfall of Kandy Royals. Their middle order was once again found wanting and with a captain who was hampered by injuries it proved too much of a task to chase down such a tall target.
Colombo Kaps came with the intention of batting the opposition out and when the toss went in their favour they had no hesitation of taking first lease of a wicket where 470 runs had been scored.
Ben McDermott, son of former Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott smoked seven sixes and a four in a 39-ball blitz for 71 which laid the foundation for the big-hitters like Janith Liyanage (32 off 19) and James Neesham (42* off 23 balls, 6 fours, 1 six) to provide the perfect finish to help Colombo Kaps to 203-7.
Scores:
Colombo Kaps 203-7 (20) (Ben McDermott 71, Kamindu Mendis 28, Janith Liyanage 32, James Neesham 42*, Shaheen Afridi 2/39, Nuwan Thushara 2/31, Zahir Khan 2/32) vs. Kandy Royals 135 (18.4) (Lahiru Udara 50, Pawan Sandesh 21, Shahnawaz Dahani 2/16, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/41, Wanuja Sahan 2/8, Malsha Tharupathi 2/23, Milan Rathnayake 2/23)