LPL 2024 | Samarawickrama’s heroics in vain as Kamindu-Shanaka partnership crushes Colombo Strikers

In response, the Falcons got off to a poor start losing Dinesh Chandimal, Mohammad Haris, and Andre Fletcher within the powerplay. Despite these early setbacks, they managed to reach 51/3 by the end of six overs. The struggles persisted when Matheesha Pathirana removed Angelo Mathews and Shadab Khan dismissed Wanindu Hasaranga in the eighth over. Chaturanga de Silva also failed to contribute significantly, departing cheaply in the 11th over, leaving the Falcons at 93/6. The duo of Kamindu Mendis and Ramesh Mendis then switched gears, propelling the Kandy score to 125/6 in 14 overs, needing 35 runs to win in the remaining six overs. A clinical 15th over by Binura Fernando, conceding just nine runs, set the stage for a thrilling finish. However, Pathirana's 16th over proved costly, leaking 12 runs, as Kandy needed just 14 runs from 24 balls, with Mendis reaching his fifty in 32 deliveries. The game took another twist when Pathirana dismissed Mendis in the 18th over. Despite this, Ramesh Mendis managed to score the winning runs in 18.4 overs, securing a victory for the Falcons by two wickets. With this win, the Kandy Falcons advanced to Qualifier 2, where they will face the Jaffna Kings on Saturday.

Exceptional

Big amount

Leaking runs

Worst one

His power

Keep going

Run leaks

Pick and repeat

Clocking

Meaningless things