By Dwayne Ferreira.
Colombo Kaps vs Kandy Royals ended in a six-wicket thriller as Liyanage and Neesham powered a stunning 180-run chase at the SSC.
Kandy Royals: 179 all out in 20 overs
Lahiru Udara 53, Angelo Mathews 45, Moeen Ali 41; Binura Fernando 4/45, Hasan Mahmud 3/31, James Neesham 2/42.
Colombo Kaps: 182/4 in 19.4 overs
Janith Liyanage 53 not out, James Neesham 48 not out, Kamindu Mendis 26; Wanindu Hasaranga 2/29.
Result: Colombo Kaps won by six wickets with two balls remaining.
Player of the Match: Janith Liyanage.
The Colombo Kaps vs Kandy Royals clash produced a dramatic finish as Colombo recovered from a serious top-order collapse to win by six wickets at the Sinhalese Sports Club Grounds.
Chasing 180 on Sunday, July 19, Colombo slumped to 67 for four inside 10 overs. However, Janith Liyanage and New Zealand all-rounder James Neesham changed the match with an unbeaten 115-run partnership.
Liyanage remained unbeaten on 53 from 32 balls, striking six fours and one six. Neesham finished on 48 not out from 36 deliveries, with five fours and two sixes.
Their partnership carried Colombo to 182 for four in 19.4 overs. The Kaps completed the chase with two balls remaining and registered their first victory of the tournament.
Kandy Royals Build a Competitive Total
Colombo captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to bowl first in the Colombo Kaps vs Kandy Royals contest. Kandy Royals then posted 179 before losing their final wicket from the last ball of the innings.
Lahiru Udara led Kandy’s batting with 53 from 36 deliveries. He struck eight fours and one six while helping the Royals recover from 31 for three.
Udara added 51 runs with captain Angelo Mathews. Mathews brought stability to the innings with 45 from 41 balls, including two fours and two sixes.
Mathews later shared a 65-run partnership with Moeen Ali, who accelerated sharply. Moeen hammered 41 from only 17 balls at a strike rate of 241.17, hitting four sixes and one four.
Vijay Shankar contributed 15 from nine deliveries. However, Kandy lost five wickets across the final two overs and finished all out for 179.
Binura Fernando led Colombo’s attack with four wickets for 45 runs from four overs. Hasan Mahmud claimed three for 31, while Neesham took two for 42 to complete a strong all-round display.
Colombo Kaps vs Kandy Royals Chase Turns Dramatic
Colombo’s reply started badly when Nuwan Thushara bowled Rubin Hermann for one. Angelo Mathews then dismissed Sadeera Samarawickrama for three, while Kusal Mendis retired hurt after making two.
Ben McDermott tried to steady the chase with 22 from 14 balls. Yet Wanindu Hasaranga removed McDermott and Kamindu Mendis, who scored 26 from 23 deliveries.
Those wickets left Colombo at 67 for four after 10 overs. They still needed 113 runs from the final 60 balls.
Liyanage and Neesham initially rebuilt the innings before increasing the scoring rate. Crucially, neither batter gave Kandy another breakthrough as the required rate continued to rise.
Hasaranga finished with two wickets for 29 runs from four overs. Thushara took one for 22, while Mathews returned one for 21.
Kandy also conceded 27 extras, including 12 wides, eight byes, five leg-byes and two no-balls. Garuka Sanketh gave away 51 runs from 2.4 overs as Colombo completed one of the tournament’s most impressive recoveries.
