This was a professional showing from Dambulla who have now got the first points on the board. It's a strong comeback after losing yesterday's encounter against Galle Titans in the Super Over. Kusal Mendis-led side weren't made to sweat by a subpar Jaffna's batting display and were clinical in all departments of the game. On that note, from myself, Rvel Zahid, and our scorer Chetan Kumar, it's cheerio for now.
Thisara Perera, Jaffna Kings Captain: It happens in cricket. We will learn from this wicket. We were at like 60/1 at the end of 10 overs but we couldn't execute our plans. I think our bowling is very strong but we will have a discussion about our batting.
Kusal Mendis, Dambulla Aura Captain: We had a chat about what we need to do today, pick up on where we left off yesterday...this pitch was a lot slower
Dilruk Kannanga: "What Avishka Fernando said : "This is the same wicket as yesterday. Ball is turning much though. Yes. Last 3 seasons I played for Jaffna Kings. When I am given opportunity to bat, I use that chance to the fullest "
"What Kusal Mendis said : "As batters, we expect better wickets than these. We get good wickets to bat in international matches. Even for our bowlers, to bowl in good batting wickets and improve themselves good wickets are necessary" Thank you Dilruk for the translation!
Stick around for the presentation ceremony
Jaffna Kings, to put it bluntly, had no answers with the ball and struggled big time with the bat on this track that was conducive to spin bowling yet Dambulla showed how to thrive on this tricky surface and runs were coming thick and fast for them. Fernando, the star of the show, was severe on the bowlers from the get-go and thumped a well-orchestrated fifty that broke the back of the chase. Thereon, Perera made sure there were no hiccups in this low-scoring game as he remained unbeaten on 34 and guided his team to the doorstep of victory.
Earlier, even the likes of Miller and Hridoy struggled for Jaffna as the innings remained on the simmer without quite coming to boil. However, take no credit away from bowlers who punctured them on regular intervals and put relentless pressure
Anon: "Kusal Perera is showing that he is the man to include SL squad in every format. Why the selectors cannot understand that. "