Home
Login to reply
BackstageTop contributor
- Posts : 3803
Join date : 2014-02-24
Mendis, Gunathilaka anchor highest Champions Trophy chase to keep SL alive
Thu Jun 08, 2017 11:54 pm
Mendis, Gunathilaka anchor highest Champions Trophy chase to keep SL alive
The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando
Sri Lanka 322 for 3 (Mendis 89, Gunathilaka 76, Mathews 52*) beat India 321 for 6 (Dhawan 125, Rohit 78, Dhoni 63) by seven wickets
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The captain Angelo Mathews shepherded Sri Lanka's chase towards the end with a well constructed unbeaten 52 © Getty Images
They may be coming off an awful run of form, two of their players might have been ruled out, and their No. 4 may damage his hamstring injury during a crucial innings, but still, if the wind, and the light, and the time of day are just right, Sri Lanka can still summon up a little of their old big-tournament magic. They can rally, they can surge, they can surprise.
That India's batting had gone more or less perfectly to plan makes the ice-cold pursuit even sweeter for Sri Lanka. They were, after all, chasing a commanding 321 for 6 - on an Oval surface that had turned up a little green on match day.
And it was, perhaps, a new generation of batsmen that set up the highest-succesful chase in Champions Trophy history. Kusal Mendis hit a frill-free 89 that belied his youth, and Danushka Gunathilaka - with fewer than 20 ODIs on his timesheet - provided the innings its early impetus, hitting 76 off 72 balls himself. Kusal Perera then electrified the middle overs, before Angelo Mathews saw the chase home, with help from a spry Asela Gunaratne. Sri Lanka sauntered to their target in the penultimate over, with seven wickets in hand. Mathews hit the winning run, having reached fifty with the previous blow. It was his first ODI since August last year.
The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando
Sri Lanka 322 for 3 (Mendis 89, Gunathilaka 76, Mathews 52*) beat India 321 for 6 (Dhawan 125, Rohit 78, Dhoni 63) by seven wickets
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The captain Angelo Mathews shepherded Sri Lanka's chase towards the end with a well constructed unbeaten 52 © Getty Images
They may be coming off an awful run of form, two of their players might have been ruled out, and their No. 4 may damage his hamstring injury during a crucial innings, but still, if the wind, and the light, and the time of day are just right, Sri Lanka can still summon up a little of their old big-tournament magic. They can rally, they can surge, they can surprise.
That India's batting had gone more or less perfectly to plan makes the ice-cold pursuit even sweeter for Sri Lanka. They were, after all, chasing a commanding 321 for 6 - on an Oval surface that had turned up a little green on match day.
And it was, perhaps, a new generation of batsmen that set up the highest-succesful chase in Champions Trophy history. Kusal Mendis hit a frill-free 89 that belied his youth, and Danushka Gunathilaka - with fewer than 20 ODIs on his timesheet - provided the innings its early impetus, hitting 76 off 72 balls himself. Kusal Perera then electrified the middle overs, before Angelo Mathews saw the chase home, with help from a spry Asela Gunaratne. Sri Lanka sauntered to their target in the penultimate over, with seven wickets in hand. Mathews hit the winning run, having reached fifty with the previous blow. It was his first ODI since August last year.
කිත්සිරි ද සිල්වාTop contributor- Posts : 9679
Join date : 2014-02-23
Age : 66
Location : රජ්ගම
Re: Mendis, Gunathilaka anchor highest Champions Trophy chase to keep SL alive
Fri Jun 09, 2017 7:54 am
We have a new leader in the Intel Fastest Bat Speed of the Tournament !
Well done to Kusal Mendis!
Well done to Kusal Mendis!
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum