Sampath to meet HNB in all bank final
View(s):Inaugural Mercantile Cricket Association Super Twenty20 Championship
By Naushad Amit
Sampath Bank and Hatton National Bank (HNB) recorded contrasting wins to qualify for the final of the inaugural Mercantile Cricket Association Super Twenty20 Championship in the first semi-finals of the competition played at the BRC ground in Colombo yeserday.
Sampath Bank exploded to inflict HSBC with a 7-wicket defeat in the first semi-final while a sensible partnership of 90 runs for the sixth wicket from Nimesh Perera and Mevan Fernando guided HNB to a thrilling 3-wicket win against Commercial Credit in the following game.
Victorious Sampath Bank won the toss and elected to bowl and they restricted HSBC to 108-7 in their allotted 20 overs and raced to victory with 26 deliveries to spare. Left-arm spinner Suwanji Madanayake, a veteran of the game sported with impressive figures of 3 for 12 to force a young HSBC outfit toil for runs. Ramesh Lakmal (22) and Shane Wijetunga (21) contributed with good knocks but the rest of the HSBC batsmen failed to give their team the much needed momentum. In the second game after having bowled out
Sampath Bank’s Kaushal Silva is clean bowled.
Commercial Credit for 139 runs in exactly 20 overs and being at a hostile position at 48 for 5 wickets, Perera and Fernando put HNB back in the saddle, as they made a dramatic fight back to record an exciting win with a delivery to spare. Despite the Coorays, Dilhan and Ranga, picking three wickets each, HNB stormed their way to the final after Perera led the onslaught with a 42-ball 53 as he smashed three each of sixes and fours during his knock. Fernando supported him well with knock of 38 from 31 deliveries inclusive of four boundaries and a six.
HNB will take on Sampath Bank in the final which will be played today at 2.00pm after the third place playoff between losing semi-finalists HSBC and Commercial Credit which will begin at 9.30am. Both matches will be played at the NCC ground in Colombo.
First semi: Sampath Bank beat HSBC by 7 wicket
HSBC 108 for 7 wickets in 20 overs (Ramesh Lakmal 22, Shane Wijetunga 21, Sachith Nissanka 18, Suwanji Madanayake 3/12, Malinga Surappullige 2/10)
Sampath Bank 110 for 3 wickets in 13.4 overs (Sameen Kandanarachchi 27, Kaushal Silva 21, Thilina Kandamby 32n.o, Hasantha Fernando 22n.o.)
Second semi: HNB beat Commercial Credit by 3 wickets
Commercial Credit 139 all out in 20 overs (Shammika Ruwan 25, Prasad Dias 24, Imesh Udayanga 20, Hashan Perera 19, Kosala Kulasekara 3/20, Saman Jayantha 2/18, Vimukthi Perera 2/21)
HNB 140 for 7 wickets in 19.5 overs (Nimesh Perera 53, Mevan Fernando 38, Dilhan Cooray 3/19, Ranga Cooray 3/31)
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