SLC Invitational T20 League

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SLC Invitational T20 League

Postby The Professor » Fri Aug 13, 2021 8:15 pm

This is a competition primarily designed to give a pool of Sri Lankan players a chance to get some games under their belts before the World Cup...with the added bonus of keeping an eye on some bolters for the squad. It was supposed to start yesterday but rain intervened and the competition was shunted on a day.

The Grey team (oh....I didn't mention....the teams are named after colours which gives the whole endeavour a Sports Day vibe) seem the team to beat as they boast the highest run scorer and the best bowler after the first game. Captain Dasun Shanaka was man of the match with a 41 ball 84 as the Greys got to 167. He had very little support from those around him. It was tantalisingly close as the Greens never looked far off the chase but a cluster of wickets saw Pulina Tharanga remove a slew of Set batsmen. The Greens ended one run shy of the total.

The Reds seem to have had final choice (presuming it was selected like football teams were in the playground) as they fell to a 57 run loss to the Blues.
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."
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Re: SLC Invitational T20 League

Postby The Professor » Mon Aug 16, 2021 7:16 pm

There are no selection headaches looming for Sri Lanka as the cream is rising to the top in this competition with all the top performers being already in the national setup.

Caught the first part of the first match today and it saw the, as yet winless Red team dominate the Greens. Experienced international Avishka Fernando was 82* (58b, SR 141.37, 4*4, 6*6)  as the Reds chased down 143 for the loss of no wicket.

Fairly new international, Kamindu Mendis leads the run scoring thanks to scores of 74, 53 and 66 and the veteran Seekkuge Prasanna has the most wickets with 6.
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."
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Re: SLC Invitational T20 League

Postby The Professor » Tue Aug 24, 2021 8:19 pm

The winner of this tournament was rain.....I mean it wasn't....it was the Greys....but rain washed out 5 of the 13 games with a further 3 being shortened by it.

The Greys were dominant throughout and won every game with the final being a massive victory by 43 runs. Thanks to Minod Bhanuka's 74 off 51, the Greys put on 201 the highest total of the tournament by some distance. The Reds never looked up for the fight.

Dasun Shanaka was by some distance the top run scorer with 258; his nearest colleague got 193. The principal selection headaches comes in the form of 23 year old Himesh Ramanayake who got 7 wickets with some stunning economies. The Sri Lankan Under-19 may be a bolter for the World Cup.
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."
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Re: SLC Invitational T20 League

Postby The Professor » Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:25 pm

The SLC Invitational League is, in essence, a training camp on steroids. The top 44 white ball specialists in the land pitted against each other over the course of a week is quiet a tantalising prospect and one that I would encourage the ECB to have a look at.

The teams are supposed to be fairly evenly matched, however that did not seem the case today – especially in the marine-coloured derby between Blues and Greens, where the Greens were shot out for a mere 90 runs in a chase of 122. A lot for the Greens to work on there.

In terms of early competition form it is the Red who look in the finest fettle, boasting, as they did, the highest individual run-scorer, the highest-wicket taker and winning their opening match. Much like the Blues, the Greys put on 120 in their first knock – which could have been more if not for Asitha Fernando’s 4-22. If you thought that 120 was par for this ground, then you would be deceived by the fact that the Reds chased it down with 19 balls in the bank. Lasith Croospulle, a veteran of the Under-23s and the A team but yet to get a full international, top-scored with a 44 ball 54.

On Wednesday, the least impressive team are up against the most as the Greens face the Reds in the morning game, whilst the Greys are up against the Blues in the afternoon.
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."
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Re: SLC Invitational T20 League

Postby The Professor » Mon Aug 15, 2022 8:37 pm

Didn’t get across this tournament as much as I would have liked to over the last week or so, however, as was clear from the outset, SLC Reds were the predominant force right the way through to the final which took place today in Colombo.

After being set only 136 to win, captain Kusal Mendis led from the front and carried his bat to claim 56 runs off 45 balls and help his team lift the trophy. He was the tournament’s highest runscorer with 206 @ 68.66 and also got the tournament’s highest individual score. Cream rises to the top.

It underlines just how strong the Reds were that his team mate Ajitha Fernando was also the highest wicket taker (10 @ 11) and also the player who registered the best bowling figures in the innings (4-22)
"It has been said of the unseen army of the dead, on their everlasting march, that when they are passing a rural cricket ground the Englishman falls out of the ranks for a moment to look over the gate and smile."
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