length ball, slower one I think, wide of off. Karunaratne heaves this towards deep square leg, and they take a couple.
Galle vs Dambulla, 16th Match at Colombo, LPL, Dec 14 2021 - Ball by Ball Commentary
That's it from us. We'll see you again on Thursday.
Samit Patel is player of the match: "The ball was pretty wet. The umpires probably should have changed it. It was an important over (his double-wicket over)."
Giants captain Shanaka: "The dropped catches cost us the game. But Janith Liyanage batted really well and we found a good No. 3 batsman."
Gladiators captain Rajapakse: "I always thought this wasn't the easiest wicket to bat on. Credit should go to the bowlers the way they handled pressure in the end. Of course we are relieved that we're safe in the tournament."
This is a rough loss for Gladiators, whose chances of finishing in the top two now go down significantly. Samit Patel's 2 for 24 from three overs really dented the chase. They needed a furious finish after that good Liyanage-Salt stand laid a foundation, but they didn't get one.
Gladiators' innings had been set up by Kusal Mendis' 35 off 17 and Rajapakse's 33 off 20.
this is a short ball, wide of off stump. Karunaratne gets on the back foot and pulls it hard for a four in front of midwicket. Wonderful shot. But perhaps a futile one.
yorker on the stumps. And that's game. Batter tries to whip this to leg, but only digs it out into his own pads and they get a single
They need three sixes, effectively, off the last three balls.
full and wide, and the new batter Jayathilake reaches out for it and carves it behind square on the offside for four. Giant's still technically in it.
another dot! This is a bouncer outside off stump, which Zadran swings and misses at, and it goes to the keeper. Or does he miss it? Gladiators think there could have been a nick and ask for the review. And there is a nick! Zadran has to go! Probably the Giants' last hope, that.
big swing and a miss. Excellent line from Udana. This was fullish, and way wide of off stump, right over the tram lines. BUt because the batter had shuffled to off, it isn't a wide.
Giants need 21 off 6 balls. Gladiators should defend this, unless Zadran does something special.
Udana to bowl the pressure over. Expect plenty of slower ones.
Minoma: "DG need the kind of miracle Seekkuge did in the evening"
this is an attempted wide yorker, but ends up being a wide low full toss. Zadran reaches for it, but hits it down towards long on only, and there's only a single there
superb from Zadran, and straight down the ground this time. This is slightly overpitched, outside off, and Zadran standing deep in the crease and blasts this back over the bowler's head, and way over the rope
Zadran gets a hold of this one though. This is short of a length on the stumps, on his thighs, basically. Zadran gets inside the line and whips this high over backward square leg for six.
bouncer, over the stumps, ducked by Zadran. Are Giants out of this now?
length ball, down legside, but flicks the pad on the way through, so no wide
Top edge, but manages to get this safe. This is length ball from Amir on the stumps. Zadran tries to hit it way over th legside but doesn't connect properly, and the top edge lands between deep square leg and fine leg
Giants need 36 off 12. Need something of a small miracle, with two new batters around
flatter, pushed through on off stump, bunted towards long on and he's weighted that nicely enough to have time to sprint a second
flatter outside off stump, cut in front of square on the off side for a single
Chamika Karunaratne's the new batter.
two wickets in two balls for the league's top wicket taker. This time it's the big wicket of Liyanage, on whom Giants' hopes rested. This is swung over deep midwicket, but there's not a good connection, and the deep midwicket batter holds a good catch, about a foot in from the rope
holds and excellent catch this time though. This is a fullish ball outsdie off, hit over cover, but without a lot of power. Pulina Tharanga at deep cover sprints in and dives forward to hold a tough catch.
dropped! There was not much tough about this. Shanaka tries to reverse sweep, and hits it in the air to point who has to take a couple of steps back and hold it above his head. But he doesn't hold on.
yorker almost, but Liyanage's timing is outstanding this innings. He's down the track and although this is in the blockhole now, somehow whips the bat through helicopter style and generates enough power to send it whizzing past the bowler, and beats both long on and long off. Superb shot. That's his fifty too.
Shanaka is the new batter.
slower one gone wrong again, but this is marginal full toss, and oh my - Salt has hit it straight to deep backward square. Umpires are sending this upstairs. But the third umpire rules it a fair delivery, which I think is the right call. It was about upper thigh-height. Salt should have put that one over the rope, but only has himself to blame for picking out the fielder
Over 14 • DG 125/5