Sri Lanka breezes past Japan with a commanding 7-wicket victory in the U19 Asia Cup.

2023.12.11

The Sri Lankan bowlers, with precision and guile, limited Japan’s scoring opportunities, setting the stage for a successful chase. The batting lineup, undeterred by any challenge, embraced the pressure with poise and determination, securing their well-deserved victory

Scorecard

Japan U19 75 (30.3 Overs)

(Charles Hinze 36, Koji Abe 19, Kiefer Lake n.o. 10, Malsha Tharupathi 3/26, Garuka Sanketh 2/18, Vishwa Lahiru ½, Duvindu Ranatunga 1/12, Dinura Kalupahana 1/9)

Japan’s Kiefer Lake took 2 wickets for 27 and Kazuma Kato Stafford 1 for 21.

Sri Lanka U19 76/3 (12.2 Overs)

(Sineth Jayawardena n.o. 26, Rusanda Gamage 18, Pulindu Perera 132,

Dinura Kalupahana n.o. 6, Kiefer Lake 2/27, Kazuma Kato Stafford 1/21)

The Sri Lanka U-19 team defeated Japan by 7 wickets, easily surpassing their 76-run target in 12.2 overs. The team’s captain, Sineth Jayawardena, led from the front with an undefeated 26 off 24 balls, which included 3 boundaries and a six. The match took place yesterday at the ICC Academy Ground No. 2 in Dubai as part of Group B of the 2023 Asia Cup.

Malsha Tharupathi was Sri Lanka’s standout bowler, taking three wickets for 26, while Garuka Sanketh took two for 18.

Japan lost 3 wickets for 8 runs in 4.4 overs when they were put to bat. Both openers were dismissed for ducks, as Duvindu Ranatunga bowled Nihar Parmar clean off the seventh and first balls of the innings, and Garuka Sanketh bowled Aditya Phadke off the fifth delivery of his second over and the third ball of the innings, bringing Japan down to 2 for 2. After 17.4 overs, they collapsed to 8 for 35 before No. Charles Hinza struck four boundaries during his valiant 36 off 52 innings before succumbing with the score at 72 in 29 overs. Along with Kiefer Lake, who was still undefeated at 10 off 44 with just the boundary, he put on 37 for the ninth wicket.

In turn, Sri Lanka had an unlucky start, losing two wickets for 22 runs. However, captain Jayawardena steadied the innings, scoring 21 runs at a ball for the third wicket with Rusanda Gamage (18 off 15 with two boundaries) and an unfinished 33 off 26 with Dinura Kalupahana 6 to take the fourth wicket.

@charith