Pakistan batter Mohammad Haris played a match-winning 51-ball 81 for B-Love Kandy against Jaffna Kings in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2023 clash at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on August 12. Jaffna batter Shoaib Malik's unbeaten 55-run knock went in vain as Kandy won the game by eight runs.
After Wanindu Hasaranga won the toss and opted to bat first, Haris and Fakhar Zaman were quiet in the first three overs. Malik erred too many times in the fourth over and conceded 20 runs. Haris looked to score freely. The partnership was broken by Nuwan Thushara in the sixth over. Zaman contributed 22 runs from 17 balls in the 51-run partnership.
In the next over, Dunith Wellalage struck off the first ball. Dinesh Chandimal got out bowled. Dilshan Madushanka was introduced in the next over and Sahan Arachchige got out bowled as well. At the halfway stage, Kandy were 79/3.
Haris got to his half-century from 37 balls in the 12th over. Angelo Mathews attacked from the other end as well. Haris pushed the scoring rate. In the 15th over, he hit Wellalage for two fours and a six. But he missed a chance to score his maiden LPL ton. The opener got bowled as he dragged the ball onto his stumps. He scored 81 runs from 51 balls including 10 fours and two sixes.
Mathews and Hasaranga contributed with cameos but too many wickets fell in the slog overs. Losing four wickets for 22 runs, Kandy posted 178/8.
In reply, Jaffna openers departed early followed by Charith Asalanka. Mathews got three wickets with the new ball. Malik and Chris Lynn tried to stitch a partnership. Lynn struggled to score freely and got out for a 26-ball 27. David Miller (16-ball 24) and skipper Thisara Perera (20-ball 36) contributed with cameos but in the end, it was too tough a task for Malik to pull off alone. Malik remained unbeaten for 56 off 37 balls including four fours and a six. However, Kandy are still at the top of the table despite an eight-run loss.
“I just told myself to play according to my strength. T20 is all about momentum, if you get the momentum at the right time, it’s good,” Haris who is a part of Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad said in the post-match presentation.
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