Colombo Strikers, on Monday, July 31, defeated B-Love Kandy by 27 runs in Match 3 of the LPL 2023 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. They made a comeback after initially losing to the Jaffna Kings by 21 runs in the opening match of the tournament.
With the win, the Strikers moved to third in the table with two points and a net run rate of 0.150. Kandy, on the other hand, are at the bottom of the table with a net run rate of -1.350. The Kings remain the table-toppers with two points and a net run rate of 1.050.
Babar Azam shines as Strikers beat Kandy in LPL 2023 match
Babar Azam failed to enter double digits against the Kings after Thisara Perera castled him. But the Pakistan skipper made a strong comeback after he won the Player of the Match award following the Strikers’ win over Kandy.
After opting to bat first, the Strikers scored 157 for the loss of six wickets. Babar was their standout batter by a long distance after he scored 59 runs off 52 balls with the help of four fours and one six.
Barring Babar, all the other batters struggled. Isuru Udana was the pick of the bowlers for Kandy after he picked up three wickets. Mohammad Hasnain was also effective after he picked up two wickets.
Thereafter, Kandy restricted their opponents to 130 for the loss of eight wickets. Matheesha Pathirana was exceptional as he picked up three wickets for 24 runs.
Earlier in the day, Galle Titans defeated the Dambulla Aura after the match went into the Super Over. Dasun Shanaka became the Player of the Match after he stayed not out on 42 runs off 21 balls with two fours and four sixes. He also picked up three wickets for 27 runs in four overs.