Lahiru single-handedly took the responsibilities on his shoulders when Royals ninth wicket fell with the score on 235 in the third ball of the 46th over. He blasted 24 runs in just nine balls which stunned the spectators as he guided his side to victory with two overs to spare.
Earlier in the innings Royal had an inauspicious start losing their first wicket with four runs on the board. Skipper Kavindu joined by Ahan Sanchitha began the recovery act with the duo putting on a valuable 89 run stand for the second wicket which they lost with Kavindu’s dismissal for 51 in 53 balls. Kavindu hit six boundaries and two sixes.
Ahan found another reliable partner in Kamil Mishara with whom he had the Thomian bowlers at bay and in the process shared another valuable 61 run stand for the third wicket.Ahan’s dismissal for 67 which had seven boundaries saw Royal undergoing a double blow losing two wickets at the same score of 154 runs. Following this they lost three quick wickets for the addition of 36 runs and slid to 190 for 7 in the 43rd over.
Kamil who was stranded losing his partners at the other end joined by Lahiru Madusanka put on a quick fire 45 run partnership in only 24 balls for the eighth wicket. But Kamil’s dismissal for 68 which included seven boundaries and a six saw Royal losing another wicket and was in dire straits with the score on 235 for 9 in the 47th over.
Lahiru made his presence felt as he lambasted the Thomian bowling and stunned the Thomian supporters to steer his side to a thrilling victory.Earlier in the day Thomian skipper Sithara Hapuhinna and Shalin de Mel got off to a sedate start of 38 runs after electing to bat first..Skipper Sithara along with Ryan Fernando added 53 runs for the second wicket which followed by a 46 run stand for the fourth wicket between Ryan and Umayanga Suwaris.
Later Umayanga who made a top score of 81 added 73 runs in 55 balls with Kalana Perera which helped the Thomians to end with a challenging score of 255 for 6 which proved to be insufficient to defend as Royal regained the Mustangs Trophy after a lapse of five years.
Scores
- Thomas’ 255 for 9 in 50 overs (Umayanga Suwaris 81, Sithara Hapuhinna 51, Ryan Fernando 51, Kalana Perera 37 n.o.)
Royal 259 for 9 in 49 overs (Kamil Mishara 68, Ahan Sanchitha 67, Kavindu Madarasinghe 51, Lahiru Madusanka 46 n.o.: Shannon Fernando 4 for 45, Kalana Perera 2 for 78)
