In the fourth match of the International Masters League T20 played at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, Sri Lanka Masters performed brilliantly and defeated South Africa Masters by 7 wickets.
Batting first, South Africa Masters scored a strong score of 180/6, but the stormy innings of Asela Gunaratne (59) and Chinthaka Jayasinghe (51) made the match one-sided and Sri Lanka achieved the target in just 17.2 overs.
In the 1st Inning Hashim Amla’s classical batting, strong score of South Africa
Batting first, South Africa Masters had a great start. Hashim Amla (76) and Morne van Wyk (17) provided a quick start but a few quick wickets in the middle order slowed down the team’s run rate. However, Dane Vilas (28) played aggressively in the last overs, which helped the team reach 180 runs.
South Africa Masters top scorers:
- Hashim Amla – 76 runs (53 balls, 6 fours, 4 sixes)
- Dane Vilas – 28* runs (13 balls, 3 fours, 1 six)
- Jacques Kallis – 24 runs (20 balls, 3 fours)
- Morne van Wyk – 17 runs (13 balls, 3 fours)
- Jacques Rudolph – 9 runs (9 balls, 1 four)
Sri Lanka Masters best bowlers:
- Isuru Udana – 4 overs, 44 runs, 2 wickets
- Chaturanga de Silva – 4 overs, 28 runs, 2 wickets
- Dhammika Prasad – 4 overs, 31 runs, 1 wicket
- Suranga Lakmal – 4 overs, 34 runs, 1 wicket
- Seekuge Prasanna – 4 overs, 34 runs, 0 wickets
In the counter inning Gunaratne and Jayasinghe’s explosion, Sri Lanka won the match in 17.2 overs
Chasing the target, the team of Sri Lanka Masters lost the wickets of Kumar Sangakkara (16) and Upul Tharanga (29) early in the beginning, but after that Asela Gunaratne (59) and Chinthaka Jayasinghe (51) blew away the South African bowlers.
Top scorers of Sri Lanka Masters:
- Asela Gunaratne – 59* runs (33 balls, 9 4 fours, 1 six)
- Chinthaka Jayasinghe – 51* runs (25 balls, 6 fours, 2 sixes)
- Upul Tharanga – 29 runs (26 balls, 5 fours)
- Kumar Sangakkara – 16 runs (11 balls, 3 fours)
Best bowlers of South Africa Masters:
- Thandi Tshabalala – 4 overs, 32 runs, 2 wickets
- Vernon Philander – 3 overs, 32 runs, 0 wickets
- Garnet Kruger – 3 overs, 31 runs, 0 wickets
- Makhaya Ntini – 3.2 overs, 36 runs, 0 wickets
- Eddie Lee – 4 overs, 46 runs, 0 wickets
Best bowlers of Sri Lanka Masters Superb victory, Gunaratne becomes ‘Player of the Match’!
Sri Lanka Masters registered a strong presence in the tournament by registering a spectacular victory by 7 wickets. Asela Gunaratne’s brilliant innings and his excellent partnership with Jayasinghe became the main reason for the team’s victory.
South Africa will need to improve their bowling attack, while Sri Lanka will enter the next match with confidence after this performance.
