Jaffna Stallions cruised to their third successive victory as they brought down the Kandy Tuskers by 54 runs in their Lanka Premier League (LPL) T20 Cricket Tournament match played under lights at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Hambantota on Tuesday.
The Stallions, rattled-up a formidable 185 for eight after electing to bat first and then skittled out their opponents for a paltry 131 in 17.1 overs.
With this win, the Stallions also moved into the top of the points table with a maximum of six points followed by Colombo Kings (4), Dambulla Viiking (4) Kandy Tuskers (2) and Galle Gladiators (0).
The architect of Stallions’ victory was once again their dynamic Skipper, Thisara Perera who played another major role with a superb all-round performance.
The 31-year-old lived upto expectations as a genuine all-rounder by smashing another sparkling half century, claiming two important wickets and also held on to a couple of catches on the field to complete a memorable outing.
Even then, Perera’s 28-ball 68 was certainly the turning point of the game as he revived the Stallions’ innings after they had slumped to 49 for four in the 19th over.
The dashing left-hander hoisted five sixes and struck the same number of boundaries while putting on a match winning partnership of 118 runs in 47 deliveries with Dhananjaya de Silva.
Silva of course, batted cautiously in the beginning but the right-hander opened out later in the innings before racing to 61 from 38 deliveries.
In reply, the Tuskers were never able to build a decent partnership with only Brendan Taylor and Asela Gunaratne causing any concern to the Stallions during the run chase.
Usman Shinwari (3/17), Suranga Lakmal (2/27), Thisara Perera (2/9) and Wanindu Hasaranga (2/17) shared the wickets for Stallions.
Chief scores:
Jaffna Stallions: 185/8 in 20 overs (Dhananjaya de Silva 61, Thisara Perera 68, Asela Gunaratne 2/20, Naveen-ul-Haq 3/44)
Kandy Tuskers: 131 in 17.1 overs (Kusal Mendis 20, Brendan Taylor 46, Asela Gunaratne 31, Usman Shinwari 3/17, Suranga Lakmal 2/27, Thisara Perera 2/9, Wanindu Hasaranga 2/17).
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