Asalanka’s 58 and Nawaz’s three in the middle send Galle into Qualifier 1

Colombo Kaps were 121 for 7 in the 14th over on Saturday night at Pallekele, chasing 202, and the game was gone. Malsha Tharupathi then hit 36 off 15 balls, put on 50 in 27 with Milan Rathnayaka, and Galle Gallants had to bowl their last league game out properly to win it by 13 runs.

The win took Galle to the top of the Lanka Premier League table with their group stage complete, and into Qualifier 1 on Wednesday.

Asalanka holds an innings that kept restarting

Colombo won the toss and bowled. Thomas Rogers went in the first over for 4, Sam Harper hit 28 off 16 and was bowled by Wanuja Sahan in the fourth, and from 49 for 2 Galle needed someone to stay in. Charith Asalanka did, for 76 minutes, reaching his fifty off 31 balls and finishing with 58 off 37 with seven fours and two sixes.

Around him the innings kept losing partners. Dinura Kalupahana made 20 off 21 and was bowled, Chamika Karunaratne went for 2, and at 103 for 4 in the 11th over Galle looked short of 180. Sahan Arachchige changed that with 43 off 29, adding 50 with Asalanka in 32 balls, and Dasun Shanaka finished the innings with 21 not out off 8 balls. Galle were 153 for 4 after 16 overs and took 48 off the last four to reach 201 for 6.

Nawaz takes the middle overs apart

Sadeera Samarawickrama went after the target from the start, 37 off 19 with five fours and two sixes, and Colombo were 62 for 1 at the end of the powerplay. Then Mohammad Nawaz came on.

He had Samarawickrama caught by Eshan Malinga, trapped captain Kamindu Mendis lbw for 1 three balls later, and had Ashen Bandara stumped by Harper. Three wickets in 13 deliveries, and Colombo went from 62 for 1 to 74 for 4. Nawaz bowled his four overs for 24 with 12 dot balls, and on a night when every other Galle bowler went for at least 8.5 an over, that was the match. Cricinfo made him the MVP of the game and gave Asalanka the player of the match award.

Tharupathi makes it uncomfortable

Ben McDermott, on as an impact player, made 38 off 28 before Sachindu Colombage had him caught, and James Neesham’s 20 ended when Malinga had him caught by Rogers. That left 121 for 7 with 41 balls to go and 81 needed.

Tharupathi hit three sixes and three fours in his 36 and Rathnayaka gave him the strike, and their stand of 50 came in 27 balls. When Malinga finally had Tharupathi caught and bowled in the 18th over, Colombo still needed 29 from 13. They got to 188 all out with two balls left, Ripon Mondol run out by a Tharindu Ratnayake throw to Malinga.

Where the playoff race stands

Galle finish the league phase on 10 points from eight games with a net run rate of 0.604. Jaffna Kings, also on 10 from seven, meet them in Qualifier 1 on 5 August with the top seeding still to be settled. Colombo are third on eight points and drop into the Eliminator, also on 5 August.

The fourth place is the one still open. Kandy Royals have finished their eight games on six points. Dambulla Sixers, on four, went into their final league game against Jaffna in Pallekele needing a win to draw level, and their net run rate of minus 0.565 sits fractionally above Kandy’s minus 0.567, close enough that the manner of any Dambulla win matters as much as the win itself.

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