Match Centre

Statistics

Best performances - Batsmen

MD Gunathilaka
78(52) 10x4 - 1x6
Control %65%
  • Productive Shot
  • off drive
  • 21 runs
  • 4x4 - 0x6
0 17 6 0 18 15 12 10
WU Tharanga
WU Tharanga
77(54) 11x4 - 1x6
Control %75%
  • Productive Shot
  • cover drive
  • 27 runs
  • 6x4 - 0x6
11 4 6 0 7 11 8 30

Best performances - Bowlers

Anwar Ali
Anwar Ali
O4
M0
R37
W3
Eco9.25
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF
1W
1W
D Lakshan
O3
M0
R39
W2
Eco13.00
RHB
OFFLEG
1W
1W
  • FTFULL TOSS
  • YYORKER
  • FFULL LENGTH
  • GGOOD LENGTH
  • SGSHORT OF GOOD LENGTH
  • SSHORT LENGTH
LHB
LEGOFF

Commentator: @afidelf

END OF OVER:
20 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | GG: 198/7 (10 runs required, RR: 9.90)

  • Milinda Siriwardana13 (9b)
  • Mohammad Amir1 (1b)
  • Kasun Rajitha4-0-38-1
  • Anwar Ali4-0-37-3

That's it from us on the live coverage of this one. The Colombo Kings v Kandy Tuskers game is only 15 mins from starting though, so join us over on that page.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster match. Gladiators were listless with the ball and in the field, letting Viiking almost meander to a total of 207. Then they were terrific with the bat, Azam Khan hitting an outstanding 55 off 24, while Gunathilaka stroked his way to his third LPL fifty, and finished on 78 off 52.Viiking dropped a lot of catches, but their bowlers never let the game slip completely out of reach. And Anwar Ali's death bowling was the decisive phase of the game.

Anwar Ali is deserved player of the match for his death bowling: "I just stuck to my basics. Bowl the wide yorkers and use the variations. I just wanted to bowl the slower ones and the slower bouncer."

Dasun Shanaka, Viiking captain: "Our bowlers were bowling loose balls so I was worried, but I knew we had some death bowlers. We could have batted better in the middle period as well, when we didn't increase the run rate."

Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Gladiators captain: "We gave 20 extra runs, and the extras didn't help. We had the match in control but lost it somewhere in the last four overs. Danushka was trying to play some paddle shots and it might have been better if he went for the big shots and tried to hit sixes."

Anwar Ali was immense at the death. He took two wickets in the 17th over despite being hit for four first ball. The dangerous Chadwick Walton was his first victim, before Shehan Jayasuriya was removed with a superb bouncer. Then he bowled one of the overs of the tournament to the Gladiators' best batsman and the top runscorer of the LPL. Gunathilaka could only get two runs off the bat off Anwar's first five balls. Even those two runs were taken while a catch was being dropped. He was caught at long off, and that was essentially the game. It was always going to be difficult to get 18 off the last seven balls, with two new batsmen at the crease.

Earlier, the 94-run partnership between Azam and Gunathilaka had breathed life into the chase, which always seemed steep.

19.6
0
Rajitha to Siriwardana, no run, it's all over. a perfect yorker from Rajitha to finish, and a chase that for the most part seemed to be in Gladiators' control has been derailed in the final overs
19.6
1w
Rajitha to Siriwardana, 1 wide, what a time to bowl a wide. This is down the legside
19.5
0
Rajitha to Siriwardana, no run, low full toss again, which Siriwardana can only drill to long off. He opts not to take the single, That should be the game.
19.4
4
Rajitha to Siriwardana, FOUR, low full toss on off stump, which Siriwardana gets under nicely and pummels back past the bowler in the air, for four. Fours aren't going to win then the match though
19.3
1
Rajitha to Mohammad Amir, 1 run, yorker on the stumps, dug out to long on

Oh man, what a clutch over that was from Anwar Ali. Has changed the match completely. Galle need a small miracle from here. Here's Mohammad Amir, the new man at the crease.

19.2
W
Rajitha to Lakshan, OUT, Rajitha gets an lbw decision with the yorker. This is full on the stumps. Lakshan tries to mow it through the legside but misses. That's definitely got to be cannoning into middle stump. The only thing that might save Lakshan is if it's pitched outside leg. But it hasn't . It stays out.

D Lakshan lbw b Rajitha 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Dhananjaya Lakshan to face his first ball.

Galle 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st42MD GunathilakaAhsan Ali
2nd5PBB RajapaksaMD Gunathilaka
3rd94MD GunathilakaAzam Khan
4th30CAK WaltonMD Gunathilaka
5th2MD GunathilakaGSNFG Jayasuriya
6th17TAM SiriwardanaMD Gunathilaka
7th2TAM SiriwardanaD Lakshan
8th6TAM SiriwardanaMohammad Amir