August 2, 2024

Originals’ Dire Start Continues as Brave Cruise to Victory

Craig Overton and Alex Davies excelled as Southern Brave secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory over Manchester Originals with 22 balls to spare at the Utilita Bowl. Despite missing Jofra Archer, Southern Brave’s bowlers kept the Originals to a modest 116 for 6. Overton was outstanding, taking 2 for 11, while Tymal Mills and Chris Jordan each claimed two wickets. Davies set the tone with a brisk 24 off 12 balls, and Laurie Evans sealed the win with an unbeaten 25 from 15 balls.

The win moved Southern Brave into a four-way tie with four points at the top of the table. At the same time, the Originals, missing injured captain Jos Buttler, remained at the bottom. Brave captain James Vince chose to bowl first due to rain threats, and the bowlers delivered, restricting the Manchester Originals to 16 for 2 in the powerplay. Wayne Madsen top-scored with 43 not out, and Jamie Overton contributed a valuable 33, but the Originals struggled. In response, Davies quickly scored 24 from 10 balls, and despite a brief hiccup, steady contributions from Vince and Leus du Plooy kept the run rate in check. Evans and James Coles finished the chase, with a misfield giving Southern Brave the winning runs.

Meerkat Match Hero Craig Overton said: “It was obviously a great win. We just needed to bash the top of the stumps for as long as possible and make it tough for their batters. Home games here are massive for us – we need to win them and if we can nick one away then we’ll be there or thereabouts to reach the knockouts.”

Vince said: “Al got us off to a rapid start to get us ahead of the game. We didn’t want to let them back into the game – Laurie finished it well for us tonight.”

Hasaranga, Asalanka Pick up Three-fours to Force a Tie

Shivam Dube’s explosive hitting against spin brought India close to victory, but he couldn’t get them across the finish line. At 101 for 5, Sri Lanka looked set for another collapse against India. Still, they managed to hold their ground and eventually tie the match. Charith Asalanka, leading Sri Lanka for the first time in ODI cricket, played a crucial role by dismissing Dube and Arshdeep Singh with consecutive deliveries on a slow, dry pitch at Khettarama, energizing the crowd.

With India needing five runs off 18 balls and only two wickets remaining, the match was still in the balance. Dube was hitting aggressively, including a six off a leg break from Wanindu Hasaranga. Despite having options like Asitha Fernando or debutant Mohamed Shiraz, Asalanka chose to bowl himself on the challenging pitch, and his decision paid off, securing a dramatic tie for Sri Lanka.

After playing out the first two balls of the 48th over, Shivam Dube hit the third ball through the covers to level the scores. Charith Asalanka then dismissed Dube lbw with a slider for 25 off 24 balls. Initially given not out, Dube’s dismissal was confirmed after a successful review by Asalanka, energizing the crowd. Asalanka followed up by getting Arshdeep Singh lbw for a duck with another slider, as Arshdeep missed a slog sweep.

Sri Lanka’s seam attack has been depleted by injuries and illness, with five fast bowlers unavailable. However, their spin attack is strong, allowing them to leave out Mahesh Theekshana and still field four spinners, including Asalanka. Wrist-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya, and left-arm Dunith Wellalage played vital roles in the win.

Wellalage sparked India’s collapse by dismissing Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma in successive overs after they had built a 75-run opening stand. Dananjaya got Washington Sundar, who was promoted to No. 4, out, while Hasaranga claimed three wickets, including Virat Kohli for 24. Hasaranga limited Kohli to five runs off ten balls before dismissing him with a skidding delivery. Rahul later contributed with a 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Axar Patel. Still, he was out for 31 off 43 balls attempting a slog-sweep. Axar, who tried to lead India’s chase of 231, was dismissed for 33 off 57 balls by Asalanka.

Rohit Sharma started strongly after returning to ODI cricket for the first time since the 2023 World Cup. He smashed Asitha Fernando for six off the second ball. He hit nine more boundaries in the first ten overs, contributing 54 of India’s 71 runs in that period.

Rohit Sharma reached a quick half-century with a six off Akila Dananjaya but was dismissed for 58 off 47 balls by Dunith Wellalage just as he looked set for more.

Sri Lanka had a slow start, scoring only 33 runs and facing 45 dot balls in the powerplay. Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube made early breakthroughs for India, but Pathum Nissanka scored a solid half-century off 67 balls. India missed a chance to dismiss him early when Siraj dropped a tough catch.

Wellalage then played a vital role with the lower order, forming partnerships of 41 with Janith Liyanage, 36 with Wanindu Hasaranga, and 46 with Dananjaya. Promoted to No. 7, Wellalage tackled Washington Sundar’s off-spin, scoring 20 off 21 balls. He showcased his power with a reverse sweep and a big six off Arshdeep Singh, bringing up his maiden ODI fifty off 59 balls.

While Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav caused problems for Sri Lanka with their spin, Kuldeep dismissed Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka for 14. Axar Patel started well by extracting turn and bounce from the pitch, effectively challenging Sri Lankan batters.

Ultimately, Sri Lanka’s spinners outperformed India’s, resulting in a tie. India will need to respond strongly to win the ODI series.