Lanka Premier League 2023 Points Table: Updated Standings after Dambulla Aura vs Colombo Strikers, Match 16
Dambulla Aura, on Saturday, August 12, defeated Colombo Strikers by 50 runs in Match No.16 of the LPL 2023. With the win, Aura strengthened their grip on the top of the points table.
Dambulla Aura also made sure that they will finish in the top two and will now take part in the Qualifier 1 to take place on Thursday, August 17 at the R Premadasa Stadium.
The Strikers, led by Niroshan Dickwella, on the other hand, went to the bottom of the table with four points and a net run rate of -0.864. They need to get back to winning ways to have any chance of advancing to the playoffs.
Earlier in the day, B-Love Kandy defeated Jaffna Kings by eight runs. Kandy also advanced to the playoffs and are placed second in the table with eight points and a net run rate of +0.496.
Ben McDermott, Hasan Ali star as Dambulla Aura beat Colombo Strikers in LPL 2023 match
After opting to bat first, the Aura scored 166 for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs. Being reduced to 46 for four in 6.5 overs, Dambulla found themselves in trouble. But a partnership of 102 runs between Ben McDermott and Alex Ross bailed the Aura out.
Even as McDermott scored 69 with the help of four fours and as many sixes, Ross chipped in with 52 useful runs with five fours and two sixes.
Thereafter, the Aura bowled the Strikers out for 116 in 19.4 overs. Hasan Ali was stupendous, to say the least. The Pakistani seamer finished with figures of 4-0-16-3 as he got the wickets of Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and Matheesha Pathirana.
Binura Fernando, Noor Ahmad, and Dushan Hemantha accounted for two scalps apiece. Nuwanidu Fernando scored 21 runs and was the top-scorer for the Strikers.