Kandy vs Stars, Qualfier 2 at Colombo, LPL, Dec 22 2022 - Ball by Ball Commentary

11:12pm Right. That will be a wrap from us. And after almost three weeks of action, we are now down to two teams - the Colombo Stars and the Jaffna Kings. The final will take place tomorrow, and do join us as we bring to you all the updates from this summit clash. Till then, this is me (Shashwat) signing off on behalf of Binoy George! Goodbye and take care!

Angelo Mathews, Colombo Stars captain: Credit should go to the entire team - the way they fought back. Last night and today. It is physically and mentally challenging. It has been wonderful to play in front of such crowds, hopefully they come back tomorrow also. We decided very late that we should have a bowl. The wicket was really good and it settled down quickly. Kasun started off brilliantly and that made a huge impact in the game. When you take two wickets in the first over, it puts the brakes on the opposition. Special mention to Chandi and Charith the way they batted. They set a real good platform for us at the top. All in all, a fantastic effort by the team.

Wanindu Hasaranga, Kandy Falcons captain: We had lost a few wickets in the powerplay but what we did in the field was very bad. We can't miss catches like these. (On the toss) I don't think so (it was a vital factor). It was a very good score on this wicket. But we did very bad fielding today. (On his innings) I try to bat long and that is why I played this kind of innings.

Time for the post-match presentation! Kasun Rajitha is the Player of the Match for his spell of 4-0-20-4!

Yoel: "If ever there was a case for Player of the Match to be from the losing side, this is the time. Hasaranga's batting was exceptional."

11pm Wow, that was some hitting under pressure by the two old warhorses. When they got together, the Falcons had just threatened to come back into the game, especially with 39 runs required off 4 overs and two overs of Hasaranga remaining. When it mattered, though, Bopara and Mathews rolled back the years, taking down Hasaranga in the 18th over and finishing off the deal in the penultimate over. Prior to that, Asalanka and Chandimal set the ideal foundation, meaning that even when they endured a slight wobble, the required run rate never went out of hand.

The Falcons, meanwhile, will be disappointed with this effort, considering how many chances they put down and how they allowed the Stars to establish a foothold in difficult moments. But take nothing away from what the Falcons have achieved this year. They finished at the top of the points table, and that is a marked improvement from how their previous two seasons panned out.

That over might have definitively swung the game Colombo's way. Just 10 needed off 12 balls now.

Hasaranga to bowl out the final over. 10 an over needed

Mendis to bowl out

Ijaz: "Till now KAF is far ahead in bad fielding" -- That is not a battle they would ideally want to stay ahead in