Having gone to Singapore as the defending champions of the inaugural tournament in 2009 and taking with them a side stacked full of exciting talent, the Singhalese Sports Club (SSC) were singled out as early favourites for the SCC-PayPal twenty20 Tournament 2011.
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| The SSC team champs in Singapore. |
SSC lived up their expectations by emerging champions of the competition by defeating Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) President’s XI in the final game.With names such as Thilina Kandambi, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thilina Thushara and Nuwan Zoysa in the squad, it was clear from the outset that the Sri Lankan side had not come all the way to Singapore to accept anything less than first place. The SSC squad was sponsored by UFL-Uniting Future Legends, a Singapore-based brand belonging to Alpine Creations, which was also the official apparel partner of the SCC-PayPal twenty20 Tournament 2011.
All teams, including SSC, were decked out in UFL playing apparel for the three days of action. Its first match of the tournament saw the SSC square off against the Royal Selangor Club of Malaysia, the first of the side’s three Group B matches. Played at the picturesque home ground of the Singapore Cricket Club, The Padang, SSC skipper Kandambi lost the toss and his side was sent into bat in the humid early morning conditions.
The side’s opening pair, Zoysa and Karunaratne, got off to a blistering start as both batsmen found the boundary rope with ease within the first couple of overs. Karunaratne’s was a short stay, however, as he departed for a quick fire 14. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals and the SSC were 94/5 in the 11th over when Sacithra Senanayaka joined Lasitha Fernando at the crease. The pair put on 92 runs as Fernando quickly picked up the pace before being dismissed late in the piece for a brilliant 53 off just 30 balls. Both batsmen fell in the 19th over but not before they’d carried their side to a highly competitive total of 192.
The Royal Selangor Club was never in the hunt during its run chase, losing wickets at regular intervals before the Malaysian side was eventually dismissed for 95 in the 14th over. Kandambi was the chief destroyer, taking 3/15 off his three overs. Chaminda Bandara did the damage early on, the opening bowler finishing with 2/15 from his three overs. SCC then moved across town to the Kallang Field where they were to face the Rowlin National Cricket Academy of South Africa in their second match. Again the SCC lost the toss but this time was put into the field. The young Rowlin side made a brilliant start as its opening pair raced to 90 within the first 10 overs. Kandambi introduced himself in the 11th over to immediate effect, trapping his South African counterpart LBW with just the third ball of his spell. The loss of their skipper proved to be a huge turning point for the Rowlin side as they lost their next four wickets for just five runs. The tail wagged briefly and the South African side managed to bat out its 20 overs to reach 135. Mithun Jayawickrama took the lion’s share of the wickets, finishing with the excellent figures of 3/14 off four overs.
The SCC made it look easy during its run chase, with all batsmen contributing before the total was polished off in the 14th over. Kandambi continued his fine form, belting 54 off 33 balls including three big sixes. Promoted to first drop, Fernando was in the runs again as he struck 26 in the vital partnership with his skipper. Having finished their day with two comfortable wins, the SSC needed just one more win to top their group heading into the semifinals. The final match was played the following morning against the Singapore Cricket Association (SCA) President’s XI who was also unbeaten and looking very strong throughout its opening two matches.
The SSC again lost the toss and were put into the field. The SCA innings never really got going, aside from a late seventh wicket partnership, which pushed the home side through to a mediocre total of 111. The SSC got off to a disastrous start in its run chase, losing Karunaratne to just the second ball of the innings. The innings never got back on track from there and it was only thanks to a resolute knock of 42 from Fernando that kept his side in the match. Needing just four runs off the final four balls with two wickets in hand, the SSC’s tail-enders couldn’t quite get the job done and finished three runs short on 109. It was somewhat of a shock result for the SSC and a timely wake-up call ahead of its semifinal against the well performed Melbourne Cricket Club, the top qualifier from
Group A.
It was the match-up that many spectators had predicted they would see in the Cup Final but the two favourites were to meet one match earlier than expected at The Padang. Played in brilliant conditions, SSC was sent in to bat and the batsmen quickly got into their work, particularly the pair of Kandambi and Kaushal Lokkuarachchi who scored 44 and 45 respectively. Kandambi scored his 44 off just 22 balls, hitting six big sixes to entertain the crowd. It was a disappointing end to the innings, however, as the middle to lower order failed to fire and the SSC’s total of 167 kept Melbourne in with a real chance.
Melbourne’s run chase was looking reasonably healthy at 55/2 midway through the innings but things quickly went downhill as Lokkuarachchi backed up his effort with the bat to claim 3/19 along with Sennayaka who finished with 3/18.
The Australian’s never looked like getting close and finished their allotted 20 overs at 105/9. The other semi-final saw SCA squeeze home over the Madras Cricket Club to set up a replay of the earlier group match in the Cup Final. SSC was desperate to avoid another upset and took to the field with serious intent, clearly evident from the fourth ball of the innings when Chetan Suryawanshi, SCA’s opening batsman, lost his off stump to Bandara off the fourth ball of the innings. SCA’s second wicket partnership steered the ship back on track but the run rate dipped following the vital wickets of Chaminda Ruwan and highly the promising Anish Param. At 101/4 in the 15th over, SCA quickly crumbled to 117/9 after their 20 overs. Shalika Karunanayaka was the sixth bowler employed by his captain and responded with 3/21 off his four overs to inflict most of the damage.
SCA’s total of 117 was always going to be difficult to defend but not too many at the ground would’ve predicted what was to happen next. Striding out with his opening partner Karunaratne, the tall left hander Zoysa was in imperious form from the first ball he faced. The first over went for 18 and by the time Zoysa departed in the 7th over for a brutal 63 off 28 balls, including nine boundaries and four sixes, the match was effectively over at 92/1. SSC needed just another three over to wipe away the deficit, winning with eight wickets and 10.2 overs to spare.
It was an entirely comprehensive victory for the mighty Sri Lankan side and a huge turnaround in performance from their loss to SCA just a day earlier. As well as defending their title, SSC skipper Thilina Kandambi was named Player of the Tournament after scoring the most runs and turning in vital bowling spells in each of his side’s five matches. For his breathtaking innings, which saw large sections of the crowd chanting his name throughout the latter stages of the game, Nuwan Zoysa was awarded the Man of the Match in the Cup Final.
When the Sunday Times spoke to Samanthe Dodanwela, Chairman of SSC Cricket he went on to say that they came with a clear intention of defending the championship which they achieved at the inaugural tournament in 2009 and the club is very proud of this achievement as they did so without the services of seven of their regular players who were on National duty. He also thanked the Singapore Cricket Club for inviting and for their hospitality and thanked Mr Ashok Mahatani the founder Chairman of Alpine creations who came forward to sponsor the SSC cricketers. |
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