Lokuarachchi takes 9/50 against Kenya

Kaushal Lokuarachchi, a former Sri Lanka under 19 World Cup cricketer took nine wickets for 50 runs with his right-arm leg-spin to dismisse Kenya for 234 in the drawn two-day game between the Development Squad and the touring Kenyan cricketers at the NCC grounds on Sunday.

Kenya replying to the Development Squad first innings of 281 for nine wickets declared were all out in 65.3 overs, a total they would not thought of when the openers put on 106 off 19.1 overs. Lokuarachchi bowled unchanged for 24.3 overs for his nine wickets. He was deprived of the honour of taking all ten wickets in the innings when Amila Perera, Lokuarachchi's left-arm spin partner, ran out Martin Suji from short midwicket.

Only three bowlers had previously taken all ten wickets in a match at this venue, M.N. Samsudeen for Combined Services against Pakistan Eaglets, and two other NCC bowlers Malcolm Spittel and Annesley de Silva in the division I Sara trophy matches.

It was an excellent piece of leg-spin bowling by Lokuarachchi on a pitch, which hardly afforded any assistance to the spinners. Until he came on to bowl, the Development Squad bowlers had looked helpless on a placid batting track where Kenyan openers Kennedy Otieno and Ravindu Shah pulverised the attack to the tune of 106 runs off 115 balls.

Lokuarachchi broke the opening partnership by having both Otieno and Shah caught behind the wicket by Rally Tissera in his opening over. Then bowling with tight control went onto destroy the rest of the batting. From the manner the majority of the batsmen got out, it was due to sheer frustration more than anything else.

Otieno hit a rapid 70 off 60 balls comprising one six and 13 fours. He got off the mark with a square cut over point for six and his next six scoring strokes were six fours. He raced to his half-century off 30 balls and looked in a murderous mood driving and pulling anything that was pitched short. The Development Squad opening bowlers Dharshana Lokuhettige and Lasith Malinga paid dearly for not keeping the ball up to the batsman and went for 118 runs off 19 overs.

Skipper Anushka Polonowita delayed bringing on Lokuarachchi into the attack until the 20th over, and no sooner was he introduced, the Kenyan batting was made to look rather ordinary.

Shah made 29 off 63 balls, Steve Tikolo 36 off 41 balls (6 fours) and Thomas Odoyo 26 off 29 balls (5 fours), but none had the patience to stay long enough to build an innings.

"The young leg-spinner put pressure on our batsmen. For a leg-spinner, he bowled with discipline. It is something we have to learn," said Kenyan coach Sandeep Patil.

"It was a good practice match. Ideal weather and a very good pitch. We are a one-day side and our batsmen will have to learn to play long innings in the middle. From an opening partnership of 106, to be all out for 234 is not the type of batting we are capable of. We should look at our batting quite seriously.

At home we play in conditions of 18-20 degrees. The conditions here are different, but we can't give conditions as an excuse. We must try to adjust to them very quickly," he said.

"It was a good fifty-fifty pitch and to bowl on such a surface and get nine wickets is a commendable effort," said Sri Lanka 'A' head coach and manager Roshan Mahanama.

"Kaushal concentrated on his length and he bowled the googly. He is the Anil Kumble type of bowler. He needs to keep on playing because leg spinners mature late. He has the potential, but he must work on his bowling, especially the leg-spin," said Mahanama. Mahanama also complimented opening bat Jehan Mubarak for scoring a century. "He made full use of the opportunity he got to make a hundred. He has been scoring runs at different levels of the game and is a good investment for the future," he said.

Kenya next take on Sri Lanka 'A' in the first of three four-day unofficial Tests beginning at the Saravanamuttu Stadium on Thursday.