Andre Fletcher and Carlos Brathwaite were both selected in the team of the tournament for the recently concluded Lanka Premier League.

They both represented the Kandy Falcons who lost to the eventual champions, Jaffna Kings, in Qualifier 2.

Fletcher scored 266 runs, fourth most in the tournament, in nine games at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 131.68. The Grenadian also scored the only hundred of the tournament, 102 not out against the Colombo Stars in their first game.

Brathwaite took an excellent 18 wickets from eight matches to finish as the season’s leading wicket-taker. For the most part the 34-year-old Brathwaite kept things simple, relying on solid lines and lengths, daring batsmen to take him on, and banking on them erring. His wickets came at an average of 9.88 while having an economy of just 6.84.

The Jaffna Kings are champions of the Lanka Premier League after securing a hard-fought two- wicket win over the Colombo Stars in the final at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Friday.

The Stars made 163-5 from their 20 overs after the Kings won the toss and elected to field first. Dinesh Chandimal (49), Ravi Bopara (47 not out) and Charith Asalanka (31) all continued their good form from yesterday’s second qualifier to propel the Stars to their score.

Needing 164 to win, Avishka Fernando (50), Sadeera Samarawickrama (44) and Rahmanulla Gurbaz (36) led the way as the Kings reached 164-8 off 19.2 overs to win their third straight LPL title.

Suranga Lakmal (3-23) and Benny Howell (2-17) tried their best for the stars while Dominic Drakes went for 14 runs from his two overs.

A whirlwind knock of 47 from Fabian Allen and Carlos Brathwaite’s four-wicket haul steered Kandy Falcons to a 10-run win over Jaffna Kings in their Lanka Premier League match-up in Pallekele on Wednesday.

Allen smashed three fours and four sixes to rally Kandy Falcons to 160-8 after they had slumped to 79-6 in the 14th over despite 35 from Andre Fletcher and 24 from Ashan Bandara, who was dismissed in the 17th over with the score at 119.

Allen raced to his 47 in just 23 balls before he was dismissed mid-way the final over when the score was 151. Chamika Karunaratne, who was not out on 18 at the end, pushed the score to 160-8.

Dunith Wellalage was the best of the Jaffna Kings bowlers taking 2-7 while James Fuller took 2-28.

Jaffna Kings made a good go of the chase for 161 thanks in large part to the efforts of Avishka Fernando who made 33 from 20 balls before he was bowled by Allen and Sadeera Samarawickrama, whose steady 48 from 41 balls held the innings together.

He was eventually dismissed by Hasaranga de Silva (2-21), who also took the key wicket of Shoaib Malik for eight, which exposed Jaffna Kings’ lower middle order to Brathwaite, who scythed through the line up with the wickets of Thisara Perera (2), Dunith Wellalage (1) and Fuller for 16, to take swing the match heavily in favour of his side.

The giant Barbadian had earlier taken the wicket of Dhananjaya de Silva (0) to finish with figures of 4-18 as Jaffna Kings’ innings closed on 150-9.

 

 

 

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