Jaffna hold their nerve! What a game, what a finish! Low full-toss, darted on the pads, and all Mendis can do is hack this to deep midwicket. They run back for the second, but the throw is safely into Kusal Mendis's hands. Jaffna win by one run!
Jaffna vs Kandy, Qualifier 2 at Colombo, LPL, Jul 20 2024 - Ball by Ball Commentary
And on that note it's a wrap from us, but be sure to join us tomorrow for one final time as this season of the LPL comes to what is sure to be a thrilling conclusion. It'll be Jaffna Kings taking on the Galle Marvels, the top two from the group stage, and the most common finals combination across five seasons of the LPL. Galle have never beaten Jaffna in a final, will tomorrow be the day? All will be revealed tomorrow, but for now this is Madushka signing out!
Charith Asalanka: "It's a great feeling playing in a final, and that will be the most important game. 188 is a very good score on this track but I knew that they came with 10 batters so it's a tricky match, but the bowlers did a fantastic job. [combination for tomorrow?] (laughs) It's a tough question, let me have a chat with the coach first."
Wanindu Hasaranga: "Wicket was good, it was a chaseable target, but at the end of the day it was a great game of cricket. It was a great journey, we had a great bunch of players. Especially our foreign players, they gave me a lot of confidence, and then our senior players and youngsters also got their opportunities."
Player of the Match goes to Kusal Mendis for his 105 off 54: "Yeah we lost two, three wickets but I played my normal game. Charith and the middle order supported me well to help me play my game. [pressure?] Little bit but the rate was going well, so it was easier to manage my innings to get us to 170-180 on this wicket. I knew I could manage the inning if I played 20 overs. [form?] Yeah I think I'm coming into form now - last match also I got 46 - so we'll see in the India series and tomorrow's game."
Time for the post-match presentation...
Badar: "Ramesh Mendis should have batted ahead of Chaturanga but alas it's too late."
11.05pm There are yelps of celebration and dead stares of despair, you can see what it means to these players. But there has to be winners and losers, and this day you could say had Mendis' on both sides of that divide. Kusal Mendis struck an eventually matchwinning 105 off 54 to set a target of 188, before a series of cameos nearly snuck Kandy over the line - including knocks from Kamindu Mendis and, sensationally at the death, from Ramesh Mendis. In the end though it was not meant to be, as the damage done by Fabian Allen and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth were enough to withstand Kandy's death overs onslaught.
4 needed from 1
And he's found it! Low full-toss and Ramesh Mendis has absolutely smoked this straight down the ground, through the line and all the way
10 needed from 2, Kandy need a boundary here
Cracking yorker on off, dug out down the ground to long-on. They scramble for a desperate two but the throw misses the stumps
12 needed from 3
Finds the boundary! Full on off, just misses the yorker length. Clears the front leg, frees the arms, high elbow lofted straight drive and there's no chance for long-off
low full-toss chipped to long-on on the bounce. Mendis turns down the single. Was that the right move? Rathnayake is no tailender
Starts with an excellent yorker, squeezed out to long-on
Asitha with the ball. Deep square, deep mid, long-off, long-on
Aravinth : "why do we have a top order batter batting so low down the order? " --- Don't question it, just enjoy the show.
17 needed off 6.
21 off the over! Behrendorff still having words with the umpire over that no-ball call.
Another yorker, low full-toss really, drilled to long-on
Good yorker, whipped to deep midwicket. They hustle back for two
And it's gone for a maximum! Wow, wow, wow. Misses the yorker and Pavan has just launched this over long-on
Free hit...
Balls gone, the BAT'S gone, and it's caught to boot! This was a high full-toss outside off. Mendis hacks at it, and ends up slicing it to backward point, while his bat went to square leg. They go upstairs to check for a waist high no-ball, and the third umpire says it is. Pretty tight in my opinion, but umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge was certain
full toss outside off, Mendis goes across the wicket and sweeps it, but straight to backward square leg
Swivel pulled away over deep midwicket! Skips down the track, it's a back of a length slower ball. His eyes are not really on this, but he goes through the shot and somehow he middles the pants off it
mid-off drops back, sweeper cover moves to short cover
Good start! Back of a length outside, forehand over mid-off, just whacked away
38 needed from 12, this needs to be a big one for Kandy
Fabian Allen ends with outstanding figures of 4 for 24.
good length on the stumps, nudged to midwicket for one
Reverse sweep for four! This was chipped to Asitha at short third, who is unsure whether to go for the catch or stay back, in the end he's in no man's land and this spins away from him and races away
good length outside off, pushed into the covers off the back foot for one
Fabian Allen is having the day of all days! This one is fuller, and arrowed in. Mathews looks to heave this onside and misses. On any other day this is a simply a dot ball, but on Fabian Allen Day, it ricochets off the thigh guard and clatters into the stumps
good length outside off, this time punched into the covers
good length wide outside off, swing and a miss
The final Mendis enters the fray, it's Ramesh Mendis. Can he have a decisive say?
Direct hit just when they needed it! Chaturanga backs away and drives this fuller one on darted in straight to extra cover. He wants the single but Mathews correctly turns him back. The throw from Nissanka though is a bullet and Chaturanga is barely in the frame
Over 20 • KAF 186/8
Jaffna won by 1 run