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So, B-Love Kandy become the second team to qualify for the playoffs! That will be all from the first game of the day at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. But do switch tabs and join us for the second match which begins in about 25 minutes from now. This is the pair of Pragadeesh and Bidipto taking your leave. Keep following Sportskeeda!
Wanindu Hasaranga (B-Love Kandy captain): Pleased with this win! (On not bowling three overs of frontline spin) I decided to bowl the seamers instead of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and myself towards the back-end because the wicket was getting better to bat on. Our quicker men have the experience of bowling crunch overs in T20 cricket, so, we left it to them to get the job done and they did it really well. Great that we have made the playoffs, hard work has paid off.
Thisara Perera (Jaffna Kings captain): (On where they lost the game) I think we did not quite execute our plans with the bat in the first 6 overs. If we could score another 20 or 30 runs in it, could have been a different story but we will have to do the job tomorrow now, can't think about what could have been at this stage.
Mohammad Haris (Player of the Match) - When I see the pitch from the last match, I stuck to my strengths. T20 is all bout the momentum and I got it today
B-Love Kandy win by 8 runs and march to the Playoffs!
Mohammad Haris 81 (51) | Angelo Mathews - 3/10 (3) Shoaib Malik 55* (37) | Nuwan Thushara - 3/31 (4)
What started off as a run chase that lost 4 wickets without really making a significant impact ended up as a bit of a classic, but, B-Love Kandy and Dushmantha Chameera held the nerves and pulled off a narrow victory in the end!
After Angelo Mathews gave his side 3 early wickets, Nuwan Pradeep got rid of the dangerous Chris Lynn. At that stage, it looked as if things were heading down south for Jaffna. Then came a bit of a resurgence from David Miller and Shoaib Malik that could not last long, but, got carried over to skipper Thisara Perera.
He joined hands with the Pakistan veteran to try and do the improbable and, to many people's surprise, the duo played some fine shots to take the team closer to the target and almost catch up with the asking rate.
After Perera's departure, Malik tried hard and took the innings deeper. He got a bit of support from young Dunith Wellalage. But, a top quality final over from Chameera quashed Jaffna's hopes of winning the match!
Wanindu Hasaranga's decision not to bowl 3 overs of frontline spin was a bit interesting, but, in the end, his pacers got the job done and took the team to the playoffs.
20
overs
170/6score
1
2
2
2
1
1
runs
Dunith Wellalage*
6(5)
Shoaib Malik
55(37)
Dushmantha Chameera
0/33
19.6 Dushmantha Chameera to Dunith Wellalage, Fourth successive win for B-Love Kandy. Back of a length across off, Wellalage drags it down to long-on.
19.5 Dushmantha Chameera to Shoaib Malik, another inch-perfect yorker on middle stump, Malik jams it down to long-on and gets a single. Chameera delivers under pressure and Malik can't send any of the deliveries over the ropes
From the last 2 deliveries, Jaffna Kings need 11 runs.
19.4 Dushmantha Chameera to Shoaib Malik, full on off-stump, Malik drills it wide of long-off this time and scampers through for a second