END OF OVER:20 | 15 Runs | KAF: 186/8 (2 runs required, RR: 9.30)
- Ramesh Mendis30 (11b)
- Pavan Rathnayake11 (5b)
- Asitha Fernando4-0-43-0
- Jason Behrendorff4-0-43-0
And on that note it's a wrap from us, but be sure to join us tomorrow for one final time as this season of the LPL comes to what is sure to be a thrilling conclusion. It'll be Jaffna Kings taking on the Galle Marvels, the top two from the group stage, and the most common finals combination across five seasons of the LPL. Galle have never beaten Jaffna in a final, will tomorrow be the day? All will be revealed tomorrow, but for now this is Madushka signing out!
Charith Asalanka: "It's a great feeling playing in a final, and that will be the most important game. 188 is a very good score on this track but I knew that they came with 10 batters so it's a tricky match, but the bowlers did a fantastic job. [combination for tomorrow?] (laughs) It's a tough question, let me have a chat with the coach first."
Wanindu Hasaranga: "Wicket was good, it was a chaseable target, but at the end of the day it was a great game of cricket. It was a great journey, we had a great bunch of players. Especially our foreign players, they gave me a lot of confidence, and then our senior players and youngsters also got their opportunities."
Player of the Match goes to Kusal Mendis for his 105 off 54: "Yeah we lost two, three wickets but I played my normal game. Charith and the middle order supported me well to help me play my game. [pressure?] Little bit but the rate was going well, so it was easier to manage my innings to get us to 170-180 on this wicket. I knew I could manage the inning if I played 20 overs. [form?] Yeah I think I'm coming into form now - last match also I got 46 - so we'll see in the India series and tomorrow's game."
Time for the post-match presentation...
Badar: "Ramesh Mendis should have batted ahead of Chaturanga but alas it's too late."
11.05pm There are yelps of celebration and dead stares of despair, you can see what it means to these players. But there has to be winners and losers, and this day you could say had Mendis' on both sides of that divide. Kusal Mendis struck an eventually matchwinning 105 off 54 to set a target of 188, before a series of cameos nearly snuck Kandy over the line - including knocks from Kamindu Mendis and, sensationally at the death, from Ramesh Mendis. In the end though it was not meant to be, as the damage done by Fabian Allen and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth were enough to withstand Kandy's death overs onslaught.
4 needed from 1
10 needed from 2, Kandy need a boundary here
12 needed from 3
Asitha with the ball. Deep square, deep mid, long-off, long-on
Aravinth : "why do we have a top order batter batting so low down the order? " --- Don't question it, just enjoy the show.
17 needed off 6.
END OF OVER:19 | 21 Runs | KAF: 171/8 (17 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 17.00)
- Pavan Rathnayake10 (4b)
- Ramesh Mendis16 (6b)
- Jason Behrendorff4-0-43-0
- Fabian Allen4-0-24-4
21 off the over! Behrendorff still having words with the umpire over that no-ball call.
Free hit...
mid-off drops back, sweeper cover moves to short cover
38 needed from 12, this needs to be a big one for Kandy
END OF OVER:18 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | KAF: 150/8 (38 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 8.33, RRR: 19.00)
- Ramesh Mendis5 (2b)
- Pavan Rathnayake1 (1b)
- Fabian Allen4-0-24-4
- Jason Behrendorff3-0-22-0
Fabian Allen ends with outstanding figures of 4 for 24.
AD Mathews b Allen 18 (17b 2x4 0x6) SR: 105.88
The final Mendis enters the fray, it's Ramesh Mendis. Can he have a decisive say?
END OF OVER:17 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | KAF: 142/7 (46 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.35, RRR: 15.33)
- Angelo Mathews16 (14b)
- Jason Behrendorff3-0-22-0
- Fabian Allen3-0-16-3
PC de Silva run out 1 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50.00