Jaffna enter a new season with a familiar clinical performance. Double-header day tomorrow. Galle and Dambulla will start their campaign. Colombo will be in action tomorrow again against B Love Kandy. Ashish will be back in on comms to cover that. Check it out. Goodnight for now.

Thisara Perera, Jaffna Kings captain: Really good start, we had a great start. Very confident with my players. We are expecting players to come in including David Miller. They should be available for the next match.

Chamika Karunaratne: We should have kept them to 160. I think we were one batter short in the middle but we went going in with the local player with the pitch in consideration. My run out was crucial as we got it down to 20. But I have to take the blame for it.

Chamika Karunaratne comes in for the presentation in place of Niroshan Dickwella.

Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, POTM: Really happy about my progress. (On R Ashwin) We are talking in Instagram also. He said good luck. It was a good opportunity to play. I didn't have a plan, just bowled wicket to wicket.

11:10pm: The defending champions stamp their authority in the 2023 tournament opener. They put up a decent score and their bowlers used the conditions well. Perera and Vijolen both used the short ball well, the former with variations and the latter with pace. Viyaskanth found big spin and bounce with his leggies and finished with a two-for while going at 4.25 runs an over. Madushanka got the key wicket of Dickwella, who was the only steady batter for Colombo in the first half of their chase. Karunaratne was the only other batter to go past 20. Dickwella guiding the ball straight to deep third and two run outs, and Pathirana's lusty blows, albeit not being enough, were among the highlights of the innings.

19.4
W
Madushanka to Pathirana, OUT, Another cover drive beaten, makes a mess of the stumps. Slower ball was very full on leg, Pathirana backed away and tried to open up the off side with a drive. It was too full and beat the shot

M Pathirana b Madushanka 8 (8b 2x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

19.3
0
Madushanka to Pathirana, no run, Pathirana goes across well outside off, then slid back to make room to expose his stumps. Got a full ball outside off that beat him on the cover drive
19.2
0
Madushanka to Pathirana, no run, Bounce is high and beats the pull. Pathirana was making room and swung across on one leg. Missed it

Pathirana on strike

19.1
1
Madushanka to Sandakan, 1 run, Top edge off the pull lands safely in front of deep third. Bumper at the body, Sandakan was hurried on it

A bit of entertaining resistance from Pathirana but 23 needed off 6 with one wicket in hand seems a bridge too far. Can there be a twist?

END OF OVER:
19 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | CLS: 151/9 (23 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 7.94, RRR: 23.00)

  • Matheesha Pathirana8 (5b)
  • Lakshan Sandakan1 (1b)
  • Hardus Viljoen4-0-31-3
  • Maheesh Theekshana4-0-39-0
18.6
0
Viljoen to Pathirana, no run, Waits deep in the crease while standing outside leg. Gets a full ball at the stumps, absolutely nails the cover drive but finds the fielder
18.5
0
Viljoen to Pathirana, no run, Goes for the pull this time and misses. Bouncer following him again, he tried to go over midwicket this time
18.4
4
Viljoen to Pathirana, FOUR, Flat-batted over mid-off to bring up 150. Hard-length ball following the batter as he made room, he heaved across and cracked it with great timing again.
18.3
0
Viljoen to Pathirana, no run, Cutter on a length, Pathirana backed away and tried to steer it fine. Misses
18.2
4
Viljoen to Pathirana, FOUR, Pathirana, No. 11, thumps it through cover with the might and timing of a top-order bat. Fullish ball just outside off, he waited and crunched it off the front foot. Vijolen has hands on head
18.1
W
Viljoen to Mendis, OUT, Bouncer down leg, Mendis tried to pull it fine. It went to the keeper and there was a caught-behind appeal. Vijolen and the keeper were convinced and they send it upstairs. The slow-mo replays show the ball to be near the gloves as he tried to pull it. Ultra-Edge confirms it was glove, so Mendis has to walk back.

RTM Mendis c †Fernando b Viljoen 17 (10b 1x4 1x6) SR: 170.00

31 needed off 12

END OF OVER:
18 | 15 Runs | CLS: 143/8 (31 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 7.94, RRR: 15.50)

  • Ramesh Mendis17 (9b)
  • Lakshan Sandakan1 (1b)
  • Maheesh Theekshana4-0-39-0
  • Vijayakanth Viyaskanth4-0-17-2
17.6
3
Theekshana to Mendis, 3 runs, Darted on a back of a length, dinked into the ground. Goes towards deep midwicket. Hridoy sent in a flat throw from which the bowler backed away. Perera, standing at midwicket, couldn't get down in time to back up. So, they take an extra run
17.5
1
Theekshana to Sandakan, 1 run, Pulls the shortish ball through midwicket. Stopped in the deep
17.4
1
Theekshana to Mendis, 1 run, Fullish ball is quick this time, worked i front for a quick single
17.3
6
Theekshana to Mendis, SIX, Full and slow again, Mendis cleared the front leg and swiped across. A bit of Carlos Brathwaite in that shot as the ball sailed flat over long-off
17.2
4
Theekshana to Mendis, FOUR, Given air and overpitched outside off, Mendis lines him up and smashes it down the ground. A blazing drill-down shot took it to the left of long-on, who got across but couldn't parry it in
17.1
0
Theekshana to Mendis, no run, Blocked in front

END OF OVER:
17 | 6 Runs 2 Wkts | CLS: 128/8 (46 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.52, RRR: 15.33)

  • Ramesh Mendis3 (4b)
  • Vijayakanth Viyaskanth4-0-17-2
  • Maheesh Theekshana3-0-24-0
16.6
W
Viyaskanth to Naseem Shah, OUT, Dances down, heaves and misses. Stumped with ease by Madushka Fernando. Naseem's dance down the ground was premeditated. Viyaskanth pulled his length back, landed it down leg and applied a lot of revs on it. It snaked away from Naseem's bat swing - aiming to take it over long-on - and went towards the keeper's right shoulder.

Naseem Shah st †Fernando b Viyaskanth 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

16.5
0
Viyaskanth to Naseem Shah, no run, Length ball spins away to outside off and beats the cut
16.4
0
Viyaskanth to Naseem Shah, no run, Length just outside off, patted towards cover

Slip in

Colombo 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st33Babar AzamN Dickwella
2nd7N DickwellaP Nissanka
3rd38N DickwellaMNK Fernando
4th9Mohammad Nawaz (3)N Dickwella
5th0Mohammad Nawaz (3)AKKY Lanka
6th34AKKY LankaC Karunaratne
7th7AKKY LankaRTM Mendis
8th0RTM MendisNaseem Shah
9th15PADLR SandakanRTM Mendis
10th9PADLR SandakanM Pathirana