Pallekele : The Kandy Samp Army produced a clinical performance to end New York Superstar Strikers’ three-match winning streak with a five-wicket victory in the ongoing Legends Cricket Trophy held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday (March 13). While Punjab Royals secured a six-wicket win over Delhi Devils in the first match of the day.
Chasing a target of 154 runs, the Aaron Finch-led Samp Army reached the target in 14.2 overs, marking their second win of the tournament. Key contributions from Kevin O’Brien and Chris Mpofu propelled the Samp Army to success against the formidable Superstar Strikers.
New York Superstar Strikers batted first but had a shaky start after opting to bat first and lost three wickets for 31 runs in four overs. Despite this, they managed to post a total of 153 runs for the loss of seven wickets from their allotted 90 balls.
In the earlier match of the day, Punjab Royals secured a comfortable six-wicket win over Delhi Devils. Chasing a target of 134 runs, Punjab Royals reached the target in 14.4 overs with Tillakaratne Dilshan leading from the front with a captain’s knock of 59 runs.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Delhi Devils led by skipper Suresh Raina failed to put up a challenging total on the scoreboard. They could only score 133 runs for the loss of six wickets in the stipulated 90 balls.
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In the chase, Dilshan led from the front and showed his leadership skills with an impressive knock of 59 runs off 36 balls, which included 11 boundaries. Despite losing partners like Naman Ojha (15), Dwayne Smith (3) and Cameron White (10), Dilshan continued to play aggressively.
Brief score
Match 10:
Delhi Devils – 133/6 (90 balls) – Suresh Raina – 34 (27); Monty Panesar – 2/16
Punjab Royals – 136/4 (88 balls) – Tillakaratne Dilshan – 59 (36); Anureet Singh – 2/39
Match 11:
New York Superstar Strikers – 153/7 (90 balls) – Asela Gunaratne – 43 (20); Chris Mpofu – 33.3
Kandy Samp Army – 154/5 (86 balls) – Kevin O’Brien – 50* (34); Rahul Sharma – 2/26
