11:06pm Right. That will be that from us for tonight. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Until next time, this is me (Shashwat) saying goodbye on behalf of Thilak and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo. Goodnight and take care!
Kusal Mendis, the Dambulla Aura captain, says that he is happy to be at the top of the table. It was a tough toss and that they completely misread the pitch. He also said that better pitches will help the pitch and they are still unsure of what the best combinations are.
Dasun Shanaka, Galle Titans captain: (On losses stacking up) I expected the wicket to play better. Expected to be a high-scoring game. We did not bat well enough to get a win today. Part and parcel of the game, one team has to lose. (On spinners not rising to the occasion) We really expected the wicket to do well for the fast bowlers. We felt it would not play well for the spinners and that is why we kept Shamsi out. We all misread the pitch. (On where to improve) We need to play well in all departments. It has been a concern but we need to bounce back quickly. Of course, as a captain (you feel the heat) but you can always come back strongly.
Avishka Fernando is the Player of the Match for his 49-ball 70. He says it was not an easy pitch to bat on. He toiled hard and he tried to bat as long as possible. He is happy that he was able to get the job done.
10:50pm A clinical run-chase led by Avishka Fernando, who batted through the innings and ensured that there were no hiccups. He did not begin in pristine fashion, though, and had to graft his way in the powerplay. Luckily for the Dambulla Aura, he stuck around and as he spent more time at the crease, the fluency that so often characterises his knocks, returned. Samarawickrama also played a vital cameo in the middle phases, and that took the pressure off Avishka, allowing them to keep eating away at the total.
The Titans were good with the ball for large swathes but in the end, they just did not have enough runs to work with. Kumara, in his first three overs, was the pick of the bowlers, with Shakib also turning in a tidy display. To win, however, the Titans needed to dent the Aura early and that did not happen, meaning that they were playing catch-up thereafter.
Just one run needed now for victory for Dambulla Aura
10 needed off the final three overs. Dambulla Aura should finish this off at a canter now. Ngarava returns
END OF OVER:17 | 19 Runs | DAT: 124/3 (10 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.29, RRR: 3.33)
- Avishka Fernando65 (47b)
- Dhananjaya de Silva1 (5b)
- Lahiru Kumara4-0-31-2
- Shakib Al Hasan4-0-20-1
Avishka punched the air in delight after that ball raced away to the fence. 14 off 19 now
de Silva is 0 off 4 balls...