Gems unearthed at the Major Club T20
ThePapareNews article
The Sri Lanka Cricket-organised Major Club T20 tournament recently came to a close with Tamil Union C & AC lifting the title. SSC finished as runners-up.
With 14 of the country's leading clubs split into two groups and 49 matches completed, the tournament produced 13692 runs, including 8 centuries and 52 half-centuries, while a total of 648 wickets fell.
Notable landmarks recorded in the tournament
232/2 : NCC posted the highest team total of the tournament. Their opponents were Baduraliya SC.
56/10 : Colts CC were dismissed for the lowest total of the tournament. Their opponents in that match were Ace Capital CC.
438 : The highest aggregate runs scored by two teams in a match in the tournament came in the game between SSC and Police SC.
103 runs : CCC recorded the biggest win by runs in the tournament. They achieved that feat against Police SC.
Man of the Final – Sineth Jayawardana (Tamil Union C & AC)
The Man of the Final was 21-year-old Tamil Union C & AC left-handed opening batter Sineth Jayawardana.
In that match he faced 32 balls and struck 9 fours and 5 sixes in making 82 runs. Notably, he brought up his half-century off just 18 balls.
In addition, he combined with Navod Paranavithana in a decisive second-wicket stand of 133 runs off 56 balls, making him the pivotal partner of the match. The pair built that stand after the first wicket had fallen without a run on the board.
Sineth Jayawardana also ended the tournament as its leading run-scorer. By the close of the competition he had made 372 runs in 9 matches, with a century and two half-centuries.
Among those runs were 101 against Panadura SC and, in addition to his half-century in the final, 84 against Police SC.
Sineth Jayawardana, who has represented the Sri Lanka Under-19 team and Sri Lanka A, has so far made 363 runs with a half-century in 21 innings across 12 first-class matches, 776 runs with two centuries and 4 half-centuries in 21 List A matches, and 686 runs with a century and 3 half-centuries in 25 T20 matches.
Most Valuable Player of the tournament – Navod Paranavithana (Tamil Union C & AC)
The Most Valuable Player of the tournament was Tamil Union C & AC's all-round performer Navod Paranavithana.
With the bat he made 276 runs with 3 half-centuries in 9 matches, while with the ball he claimed 11 wickets.
A left-handed batter, Navod Paranavithana finished fifth on the list of leading run-scorers and also fifth among the leading wicket-takers.
Navod Paranavithana's highest score was 63 against CCC. He also made an unbeaten 58 against SSC in the final and 51 against Kurunegala Youth CC.
The slow left-armer's best bowling figures were 4 wickets for 41 runs against Panadura SC.
Now 24 and a former Sri Lanka Under-19 representative, Navod Paranavithana has so far made 2967 runs with 4 centuries and 14 half-centuries and taken 42 wickets in 55 first-class matches, 934 runs with 6 half-centuries and 32 wickets in 46 List A matches, and 483 runs with 5 half-centuries and 13 wickets in 24 T20 matches.
Best batter of the tournament – Sohan de Livera (Moors SC)
The best batter of the tournament was Moors SC's wicketkeeper-batter Sohan de Livera.
A left-handed top-order batter, he ended the tournament with 307 runs including 3 half-centuries in 7 matches. He maintained an average of 43.85 and, during the tournament, made 64 against Nugegoda S & WC, 64 against NCC and 58 against Police SC.
Sohan de Livera, who also hit the most fours in the tournament with 39, contributed 7 dismissals from behind the stumps.
Still only 26 and a former Sri Lanka A and Sri Lanka Emerging representative, Sohan de Livera has made 3358 runs with 8 centuries and 15 half-centuries in 87 innings across 57 first-class matches, 1314 runs with a century and 7 half-centuries in 60 innings across 63 List A matches, and 807 runs with 3 half-centuries in 29 innings across 31 T20 matches.
372 : Tamil Union's Sineth Jayawardana was the leading run-scorer of the tournament.
The five leading run-scorers of the tournament
- Player · Team · M · In · NO · Runs · HS · Ave · 100 · 50
- 1 · Sineth Jayawardana · Tamil Union · 9 · 9 · 1 · 372 · 101 · 46.50 · 1 · 2
- 2 · Sohan de Livera · Moors SC · 7 · 7 · 0 · 307 · 64 · 43.85 · 0 · 3
- 3 · Nishan Madushka · CCC · 5 · 5 · 3 · 296 · 114* · 148.0 · 2 · 1
- 4 · Avishka Fernando · SSC · 7 · 7 · 0 · 286 · 73 · 40.85 · 0 · 3
- 5 · Navod Paranavithana · Tamil Union · 9 · 9 · 2 · 276 · 63 · 39.42 · 0 · 3
145* : NCC's Kamil Mishara posted the highest individual score of the tournament. He achieved that feat against Bloomfield C & AC.
2x100s : CCC's Nishan Madushka scored the most centuries in the tournament. He achieved that feat against Ace Capital CC (114*) and Tamil Union C & AC (109*).
3 x50s+ : Five batters are listed as having recorded the most scores of 50 or more in the tournament: CCC's Nishan Madushka, Moors SC's Sohan de Livera, SSC's Avishka Fernando, Tamil Union C & AC's Navod Paranavithana and Tamil Union C & AC's Sineth Jayawardana.
19x6s : Tamil Union C & AC's Sineth Jayawardana hit the most sixes in the tournament.
39x4s : Moors SC's Sohan de Livera hit the most fours in the tournament.
152* : The highest partnership for any wicket in the tournament came from NCC's Kavin Bandara and Sahan Arachchige, who added these runs for the third wicket against Baduraliya SC.
Best bowler of the tournament – Vijayakanth Viyaskanth (Tamil Union C & AC)
The best bowler of the tournament was Tamil Union C & AC's leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth.
He ended the tournament with 17 wickets in 9 matches, making him the leading wicket-taker of the competition. His returns included 4 wickets for 11 runs against Police SC and 4 wickets for 33 runs against Panadura SC.
Now 24 and a Sri Lanka T20 international cap, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth has so far taken 58 wickets in 19 first-class matches, 51 List A wickets and 88 T20 wickets.
17 : Tamil Union C & AC's Vijayakanth Viyaskanth was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.
The leading wicket-takers of the tournament
- Player · Team · M · Over · Md · Runs · Wkts · Best · Ave · 4
- 1 · Vijayakanth Viyaskanth · Tamil Union · 9 · 36.0 · 0 · 222 · 17 · 4/11 · 13.05 · 2
- 2 · Chamika Gunasekara · NCC · 8 · 27.0 · 0 · 188 · 15 · 4/17 · 12.53 · 2
- 3 · Traveen Mathew · Ace Capital · 7 · 25.4 · 0 · 185 · 14 · 3/09 · 13.21 · 0
- 4 · Rachintha de Silva · Ace Capital · 7 · 24.0 · 1 · 134 · 12 · 4/10 · 11.16 · 1
- Lahiru Samarakoon · Tamil Union · 9 · 33.0 · 0 · 277 · 12 · 4/23 · 23.08 · 1
- 5 · Navod Paranavithana · Tamil Union · 9 · 26.3 · 0 · 220 · 11 · 4/41 · 20.00 · 1
5/19 : The best bowling figures in an innings in the tournament were recorded by Police SC's left-arm spinner Heshan Madushanka. He achieved that feat against BRC.
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Based on ThePapare reporting