Sharjah,
A brilliant counter-attacking innings by the Sri Lankan Avishka Fernando helped propel the Sharjah Warriorz to second spot on the points table, as they defeated the Dubai Capitals in Sharjah. The Sharjah Warriorz, who were playing their first home game this season, won by 5 wickets and 11 deliveries to spare.
Speaking after the match, captain Tim Southee said, “To chase down a score like that and that innings from Fernando was incredible. To get off the plane in the morning and do that is special. Fernando was outstanding for us.”
The captain further added, “There’s plenty of things to improve, the fielding and with the ball, which is always easy to do after a win. It was a good wicket, if you executed with the ball it was good but if you missed it made it slightly, then it is a different story. Couple of guys were sick and it shows the depth of the team when others come and perform.”
Coach JP Duminy also stated, “Fielding is an area of our game that we can work on. We try to collectively put in a big effort in the field. So, that’s something we want to work on and fielding is something we want to be better at for sure.”
“Focussing on my natural game and thank the lord for today’s knock. The wicket was nice to bat today, the thoughts when chasing 200 was to be positive, it came naturally and thankful for that. I did not realise that I have broken the record for the fastest-ever 50,” said Avishka Fernando, who scored 81 from 27 deliveries, with 8 maximums and 6 boundaries.
Sharjah Warriorz next take on the MI Emirates at Sharjah on Sunday.