Sri Lanka U-19 starts Asia Cup in style
Sri Lanka cruised to a comfortable 7-wicket win against cricketing minnows Japan and open their ACC Under-19s Asia Cup campaign in style at the ICC Academy Ground 2 in Dubai yesterday. With the easy victory over Japan Sri Lanka now tops Group ‘B’ where Bangladesh and United Arab Emirates are also part of.Electing to bowl, Sri Lanka took off to a fine start by claiming three early wickets conceding only 8 runs by the fifth over, before skittling out Japan for a paltry total of 75 runs. Leg-spinner Malsha Tharupathi stood out for the victors, claiming three scalps to earn the spotlight among the six Sri Lankan bowlers, as paceman Garuka Sanketh pocketed two wickets. The rest of the four bowlers claimed a wicket each as Japan struggled from the onset, failing to maneuver an effective bowling display from their opponents.
Left-hander Charles Hinze, still 15-years of age, was the only Japanese batter to negotiate the opposition with his decent display with the bat, while skipper Koji Abe turned out as his side’s second best contributor with the bat.
Hinze made 36 after facing 52 deliveries, eventually the top score of the game, to take Japan to a decent total considering the fact they were almost on the edge of being bowled out way earlier. His patient, yet constructive knock included four boundaries, as he joined Shotaro Hiratsuka when Japan was badly placed at 25-4 in the 11th over.
The very next over Japan lost their fifth wicket without adding any run, after Sri Lankan bowlers caused an early damage by restricting Japan to 25-3 after the mandatory powerplay in the first 10 overs. They lost two quick wickets in the two overs to follow at the same total, until Hinze held on with his stubborn knock to delay Sri Lankans from claiming an early win.
The best partnership for Japan came while Hinze was in the middle with Kiefer Lake, who remained unbeaten on 10 after facing 44 deliveries and hitting a solitary four. It was the 37-run stand for the ninth wicket between the two left-handers that frustrated the otherwise marauding Sri Lankan bowlers. From 35-8 Hinze and Lake took Japan to 72-9 until the fall of the former, before being bowled out for 75 in the third delivery of the 30th over.
Chasing an easy target, Sri Lanka too had to sacrifice three of their top batters as skipper Sineth Jayawardena took matters to the hand to lead his side with an unbeaten knock of 26, which came off 24 deliveries. He hit three boundaries and a six and guarded one end while Sri Lanka lost the wickets of openers Pulindu Perera (13) and Hirun Kapurubandara (3) for 22 before the fifth over, which was when Jayawardena came to the middle.
He formed a brief partnership of 21 runs for the third wicket before Rusanda Gamage (18) departed at 43 as the third wicket, but it was all the Japanese bowling arsenal of five bowlers could threat their opponents with. Jayawardena and Dinura Kalupahana (6n.o.) ended the game in Sri Lanka’s favour while featuring in an unbroken stand of 33 runs for the fourth wicket.
Right-arm paceman Kiefer Lake was the pick of the Japanese bowlers for his effort of 2 for 27 in five overs, while left-arm paceman Kazuma Kato-Stafford claimed the wicket of Perera conceding 21 runs in four overs.
Sri Lanka faces the UAE tomorrow, followed by their final group game against Bangladesh on Wednesday at the same venue. India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal form Group ‘A’ as the top two teams of each group will reach the semi-finals, set to be played on Friday. The final will be played next Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium.
| SCORECARD | |
| Japan U-19s
Aditya Phadke b Sanketh 00 Nihar Parmar b Ranatunga 00 Koji Abe c Shanmuganathan b Kalupahana 10 Kazuma Kato-Stafford c and b Sanketh 02 Shotaro Hiratsuka b Lahiru 02 Charles Hinze b Tharupathi 36 Hugo Kelly run out 01 Tomor Rear c Shanmuganathan b Thewmika 00 Chihaya Arakawa lbw b Tharupathi 00 Kiefer Lake not out 10 Aarav Tiwari b Tharupathi 00 Extras (w5) 05 Total (all out; 30.3 overs) 75 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Parmar, 1.1ov), 2-2 (Phadke, 2.4ov), 3-8 (Kato-Stafford, 4.4ov), 4-25 (Abe, 10.3ov), 5-25 (Hiratsuka, 11.6ov), 6-33 (Kelly, 16.3ov), 7-33 (Rear, 16.4ov), 8-35 (Arakawa, 17.4ov), 9-72 (Hinze, 28.6ov), 10-75 (Tiwari, 30.3ov) Bowling: Garuka Sanketh 6-1-18-2, Duvindu Ranatunga 4-1-12-1, Vishwa Lahiru 4-2-2-1, Dinura Kalupahana 5-2-9-1, Vihas Thewmika 5-1-8-1, Malsha Tharupathi 6.3-0-26-3 Sri Lanka U-19s Pulindu Perera c Arakawa b Kato-Stafford 13 Hirun Kapurubandara c Parmar b Lake 03 Sineth Jayawardena not out 26 Rusanda Gamage c Arakawa b Lake 18 Dinura Kalupahana not out 06 Extras (w10) 10 Total (3 wickets; 12.2 overs) 76 Did not bat: Sharujan Shanmuganathan, Malsha Tharupathi, Vihas Thewmika, Duvindu Ranatunga, Vishwa Lahiru, Garuka Sanketh Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Kapurubandara, 3.4ov), 2-22 (Perera, 4.3ov), 3-43 (Gamage, 7.6ov) Bowling: Kazuma Kato-Stafford 4-0-21-1, Kiefer Lake 5-0-27-2, Aarav Tiwari 1-0-11-0, Charles Hinze 1.2-0-14-0, Hugo Kelly 1-0-3-0 |