By Srian Obeyesekere

Avishka Fernando struck a composed unbeaten 70 off 49 balls going over the top thrice and an equal number of boundaries to fire Dambulla Aura to a handsome 7-wicket triumph with 15 balls to spare over Galle Titans and to topping the points table in making light of the Titans 133 for 9 off 20 overs in the fourteenth fixture of the Lanka Premier League 2023 Tournament at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

On a surface that Fernando was to later describe as difficult to bat when he received his Player of the Match award, the right-hander strutted it out in seeing his side through after skipper Kusal Mendis had fallen for 18 with the score 47 and Sadeera Samarawickrama for 25 at 83 for 2 after 17 and when Kusal Janith Perera was third out for 5 at 105 after 15.3, Fernando took his side to victory in the company of Dhananjaya de Silva 6  as he smote Richard Ngarava to the boundary and a single off the third and fourth balls of his third over.

The Galle Titans hashed it up reeling on 5 for 72 after 11.2 overs after Ashan Priyanjan 9 had departed stumped lamely out of his crease off Dushan Hemantha having survived a similar stumping in the previous over, and 96 for 6 when Sohan de Livera exited for 12 bowled by Hayden Kerr. Only skipper Dasun Shanaka made a substantial score of 36 off 26 with 5 boundaries before being held by Sadeera Samarawickrama off Hasan Ali.

Dambulla now lead the points table with 8 points from 6 pushing B-Love Kandy to second place having 6 points from 5 games.

CHIEF SCORES:

Galle Titans 133/9 (20 Overs)

(Dasun Shanaka 36, Chad Bowes 22, Tim Seifert 15, Shakib Al Hasan 13, Sohan Livera 12, Dushan Hemantha 2/31, Binura Fernando 1/14, Dhananjaya de Silva 1/14, Hayden Kerr 1/24, Hasan Ali 2/27)

Dambulla Aura 134/3 (17.4 Overs)

(Avishka Fernando n.o. 70, Kusal Mendis 18, Sadeera Samarawickrama 25, Dhananjaya de Silva n.o. 6, Lahiru Kumara 2/31, Shakib Al Hasan 1/20)