With the bat, Pakistan Captain Babar Azam emerged as the player of the match as he kept the Strikers’ innings together while scoring 59 off 52 balls on a challenging batting surface.
Colombo, August 1, 2023: In a shocking victory over B-Love Kandy on Monday at the R. Premadasa Stadium, the Colombo Strikers earned their first victory in the Lanka Premier League 2023. Thanks to the outstanding bowling efforts of Naseem Shah and Matheesha Pathirana, who together took five wickets while allowing only 43 runs in eight overs, the Strikers, who had scored 157-6 in the first innings, held Kandy to a modest score of 130-8.
“When we started the inning, the pitch was behaving a bit two-paced,” Babar Azam said in reference to his team’s performance. I therefore came to the conclusion that forming a partnership would be preferable. After 10 overs, I had predicted that the pitch would also start helping the spinners, and after 15 overs, I had predicted that we would try to attack the opposition.
The surface was acting a bit tough, so the goal was to bat as deep as possible. To our advantage, everyone chipped in, he added, complimenting the bowlers on their accomplishments. The bowlers who stood out, though, deserve all the credit, in my opinion.
“Naseem Shah gave the performance that, in my opinion, stood out.
According to Babar, his first spell set the tone for the entire inning, giving us the advantage. The team from Kandy found it extremely challenging to handle the twin spinners’ intense pace and short stints. Naseem Shah, the top pacer for Pakistan, expressed his happiness at the first victory by saying, “It was our first win of the tournament, and undoubtedly it provides us the momentum we need for the remainder of the tournament. From here, we hope to keep doing this.
We were a little unhappy in the first encounter since we didn’t receive the victory we believed we deserved, said coach Simon Helmot, who was all praise for the team. Today’s batting performance was undoubtedly brave. The pitch made it difficult to score easily; however, Babar simply showed class and maturity by batting so deeply and giving us a respectable total of 157.
“I felt the fielding and bowling, as well as the fervour on the pitch and the captain’s dexterous decision-making, were particularly sublime. This resonates, in my opinion, with the Colombo Strikers brand. Every time we take the field, we battle fiercely, field fiercely, and bowl precisely, and I believe we did that tonight.
We should all take advice from the greatest, Captain Niroshan Dickwella added, echoing the same sentiment. The surface made it difficult to bat, but Babar’s ability to stay on the pitch until the very end allowed us to score well. It was an excellent performance, and I want to compliment everyone.
Sagar Khanna, the owner of the Colombo Strikers, appeared ecstatic following his team’s impressive performance and declared, “With our first win under our belt, I am confident that the team will leave no stone unturned to make it a memorable debut tournament for us.”
The next game for the Colombo Strikers is scheduled for August 5 against Dambulla Aura.
India
