Colombo:
The Colombo Strikers returned to winning ways with an emphatic 9-wicket victory over the Jaffna Kings in the ongoing Lanka Premier League 2024 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Shadab Khan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz starred in the comprehensive victory for the Strikers, who chased down a below-par target of 110 in just 9.5 overs. This win keeps the Thisara Perera-led side in third place on the points table with three wins from six games.
Chasing the modest target, opener Angelo Perera set the tone with a quick 16 off 8 balls before being dismissed early. His opening partner, Gurbaz, along with Muhammad Waseem, kept the scoring rate high despite some rain interruptions.
The unbeaten partnership between Gurbaz and Waseem of 87 runs from just 45 balls ensured that the Strikers reached their target inside 10 overs, significantly boosting their net run rate.
Gurbaz, the explosive Afghan batter, remained unbeaten on 57 off 33 balls, hitting four sixes and four boundaries. He completed his fifty in just 30 deliveries, and with support from Waseem (35 off 18 balls, including 2 fours and 3 sixes), the Strikers finished the game (112/1 in 9.5 overs) with 61 balls to spare.
Earlier, Colombo Strikers’ bowlers put on a clinical performance, restricting the Jaffna Kings to 109 for 9 in their 20 overs. Shadab Khan delivered a brilliant spell, taking 4 for 10 from his four overs. In doing so, he has become the highest wicket taker of the league.
The Pakistani all-rounder, who already has a hat-trick in this edition, nearly claimed another, dismissing Avishka Fernando and Fabian Allen off consecutive balls in the 9th over, narrowly missing his second hat-trick as batter Vijayakanth Viyaskanth found himself lucky.
Brief Score:
Jaffna Kings: 109/9 in 20 overs (Vijayakanth Viyaskanth 25, Kusal Mendis 17; Shadab Khan 4/10, Binura Fernando 2/24)
Colombo Strikers: 112/1 in 9.5 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 57, Muhammad Waseem 35; Pramod Madushan 1/26)
Result: Colombo Strikers won by 9 wickets.