Maliban drub SLT by 8 wickets
Maliban skipper Tharindu Siriwardene glides one to the on side - Pix by Priyantha Wickremaarachchi
It was plain sailing for Maliban Biscuits to their maiden major Cricket title, with a comprehensive 8-wickets win over Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) in the 7th Stafford Motor Co. (Pvt) Ltd., sponsored ‘Honda’ Trophy, MCA ‘G’ Division 25-Over League Tournament 2017 final, concluded at the MCA grounds last Saturday.
Winning the toss SLT started on the wrong foot losing their first 3 wickets for 9 runs in 5.1 overs. Medium pacer, Chathuranga Dewapriya had the prize scalps of the 2 in-form batsmen, Sudam Jayawardena and Nirushan Ramachandra, and thirdly of Kasun Amarasinghe. Devapriya bowled his quota of 5 overs on the trot to finish with brilliant figures of 5-1-9-3.
From their onwards, SLT continued their downward spiral, with spinner Nethminda Perera inflicting further damage (2.2-0-4-3), as they crashed to a paltry 79 runs in 23.2 overs .
Maliban raised little sweat to reach their target in 19.2 overs, losing only 2 wickets in the process. Spearheaded by skipper Tharinda Siriwardena (32 not out in 44 balls, with 1 four) and Risith Upamal (30 not out in 46 balls, with 2 fours), who were engaged in an unbroken 62-runs stand for the 3rd wicket in 86 balls.
Match Referee Tyrone H. Wijewardene named Maliban’s Chathuranga Devapriya as his Man of the Match.
The other 3 Special awards, based on performances in the League and Knockout stages went to: Denesh Panditharatne (HNB ‘B’)- Best Bowler (9 matches, 37.3 overs, 189 runs, 19 wickets). Kalpa Bandaranayake (SLT)- Best Batsman (9 innings, 376 runs, inclusive of 4 half-centuries) and Tharinda Tharaka de Silva (A Baur & Co.)- Man of the Series (7 matches, 16 wickets for 145 runs and 185 runs with 2 half-centuries).
The awards were given away by Stafford Motor Co.(Pvt) Ltd. Director-Chief Operating Officer, Charaka Perera and Deputy General Manager, Damitha Jayasundera, MCA President Niran Mahawatte, MCA Senior VP Roshan Iddamalgoda and MCA Tournament Committee Secretary, Tarindra Kaluperuma.
With this tournament, the curtain comes down on the MCA 2017 season. The 2018 season will commence early September 2017, with the Premier ‘League’ and the ‘B’ Division. - LR
SCORES
Sri Lanka Telecom- 79 (23.2 overs) (L. Ranatunga 15, M. Perera 11, D. Lanka 11, K. Bandaranayake 10; Chathuranga Devapriya 3/9, Nethminda Perera 3/4)
Maliban Biscuits- 80 for 2 (19.2 overs) (Thanrindu Siriwardena 32 n.o., Risith Upamal 30 n.o., Nethminda Perera 10)
Nethminda Perera
Risith Upamal