A splendid century by Chadwick Walton and an exceptional bowling display helped New York Superstar Strikers to a resounding 143-run victory over the Colombo Lions in the Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here on Monday.
This is the biggest victory by run margin in the Legends Cricket Trophy 2024 so far.
With this remarkable win, the Superstar Strikers concluded their league stage engagements with five victories out of six matches, securing the top spot in the team standings.
Their stellar performance in the league phase earned them a spot in the inaugural edition’s final of the 90-ball-per-side competition. They are slated to face the Rajasthan Kings in the title decider on Tuesday. Opting to field first, the Colombo Lions, under the leadership of Asghar Afghan, invited the New York Superstar Strikers to bat, with acting skipper Daniel Christian leading the charge in the absence of regular captain Yuvraj Singh.
The decision to bowl first backfired for the Lions, as the Strikers’ opening pair of Chadwick Walton and Alviro Petersen forged a formidable 129-run partnership for the first wicket. The West Indies batter Walton’s blistering century, comprising 107 runs off 46 deliveries, including eight fours and nine sixes, inflicted significant damage on the Lions’ bowling attack. Petersen contributed with 49 runs off 34 balls before being dismissed leg-before wicket by Milinda Siriwardana. A brief cameo by Chamara Kapugedera (17* off 7 balls) and a six by Asela Gunaratne, on the lone ball he faced, propelled the Superstar Strikers to a formidable total of 214/3 in 15 overs.
In pursuit of a daunting target, the winless Lions faced an uphill task, resulting in a batting collapse of monumental proportions. Despite captain Asghar Afghan’s resilient effort of 25 runs off 19 balls, the Lions could only muster 71 runs in 11.4 overs. Ben Dunk (15) and Malinda Pushpakumara (10) were the only other batters to reach double figures in the run chase. Led by captain Christian, the Superstar Strikers’ bowling unit executed their roles effectively, with each bowler claiming at least one wicket. Notably, Dhammika Prasad emerged as the most impactful bowler, scalping three wickets in just 10 deliveries.
Prasad’s spell of 3-15, coupled with Rahul Sharma’s economical figures of 2-16 from four overs, ensured the Lions’ batting line-up crumbled under pressure and their team suffered their sixth defeat on the trot.
Whereas, in the first encounter of the day, the Delhi Devils convincingly defeated the Kandy Samp Army by six wickets, securing their second victory in the competition. Led by a remarkable bowling performance from left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, the Delhi Devils restricted the Kandy Samp Army to a meager total of 111 for 8 within the stipulated 90 balls.
Abdulla’s brilliance saw him dismissing Trevon Griffith (5), Navin Stewart (18), and Jonathan Foo (1), effectively dismantling the middle order of the Samp Army’s batting lineup. Abdulla concluded his spell with figures of 4 overs, conceding only 19 runs.
Left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan also made significant contributions, claiming the crucial wickets of Kevin O’Brien (20) and Rahul Yadav (18), further denting the Aaron Finch-led side’s batting prowess. Sangwan finished his three overs with figures of 2-19. Nagendra Kumar also chipped in with a wicket for the Delhi Devils.
Despite winning the toss and opting to bat first, the Kandy Samp Army struggled to establish a solid batting foundation. Captain Finch endured a forgettable outing as he was bowled for just eight runs by Nagendra. Jesal Karia emerged as the top scorer for Samp Army with an unbeaten 23 off 21 deliveries.
In response, the Delhi Devils comfortably chased down the target in 12.2 overs, losing only four wickets in the process, sealing a six-wicket victory.
Although openers Ashan Priyanjan (4) and Ishan Malhotra (2) fell early to Vikas Tokas, skipper Callum Ferguson contributed 14 runs off 15 balls before his dismissal by Navin Stewart. However, by that point, the Devils had already surpassed the 50-run mark. Brendan Taylor (36 off 19) was dismissed when the scoreboard read 67 but Amitoze Singh (37 not out off 19) and Pradeep Sangwan (11 not out off 10) anchored an unbeaten partnership of 45 runs for the fifth wicket, steering their team to victory.
Brief scores:
Kandy Samp Army 111/8 in 90 balls (Jesal Karia 23; Iqbal Abdulla 3-19) lost to Delhi Devils 112/4 in 74 balls (Amitoze Singh 37 not out; Vikas Tokas 2-14) by six wickets.
New York Superstar Strikers 214/3 in 90 balls (Chadwick Walton 107; Rana Muhammad Naeem 2-48) beat Colombo Lions 71 all out in 70 balls (Asghar Afghan 25; Dhammika Prasad 3-15) by 143 runs.
