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ScorecardFile photo – Parthiv Patel provided a brisk start in a thrilling chase by hitting 10 fours in his 57•BCCI

It was a thriller that didn’t look possible at one stage, but Gujarat’s batting meltdown in a modest chase meant their lower order had to squeeze out every ounce of temperament against a spirited attack. In the end, a composed unbeaten 36 from Axar Patel, who also had two scalps earlier in the day, proved to be the difference in a nail-biter as Gujarat won by two wickets in Alur to seal a semi-final berth at the Vijay Hazare Trophy.Truth be told, the conditions weren’t half as bad as the scorecard suggested. On the day, Vidarbha were guiltier of the two as they were shot out for 195 after bucking the trend and opting to bat on a surface where most teams have had no hesitation in fielding first. That they got there was courtesy Jitesh Sharma and Faiz Fazal, the openers, who made half-centuries, with Ganesh Satish conjuring a fighting 47 even as the lower order caved in without a fight.Vidarbha fought valiantly to make a match of it courtesy Ravikumar Thakur, the left-arm seamer, and offspinner Akshay Wakhare who picked up three wickets apiece to deflate Gujarat, who were batting as if they were trying to beat the evening traffic. Amidst the ruins, Axar found an ally in Hardik Patel as the pair’s unbroken 36-run stand for the ninth wicket helped them squeeze out the win that would also somewhat ease their disappointment of having failed to make it into the Ranji Trophy knockouts.On a new surface with even bounce and decent carry, Jasprit Bumrah, the medium pacer, made the ball talk by subtle changes in length to finish with 4 for 38. Vidarbha’s last eight wickets fell for 63 to hasten their collapse that undid all the good work done by the top three who contributed 150 to the total.Gujarat were clinical with their execution on the field for most parts. There was a brief flutter at the start when Fazal (51) and Jitesh (52) were going strong, dispatching the loose deliveries while treating the good ones with respect, in a 96-run opening stand. But while the breakthrough remained elusive, Gujarat were unlucky despite creating a number of openings.They broke through finally in the 21st over, when Fazal miscued a lofted hit to deep cover, and Parthiv Patel went back to his trump card Axar immediately. The left-arm spinner, unfazed by recent criticism over his bowling style, held his own and was complemented from the other end by offspinner Rujul Bhatt.As well as they bowled, the moment that turned the tide in Gujarat’s favour was Jitesh’s run-out, a result of total breakdown in communication. Then came a double strike of S Badrinath and Ravi Jangid in the space of three deliveries that exposed a relatively inexperienced lower middle order with too much to do. Satish, who has played most of his cricket for Karnataka before moving to Vidarbha, held the innings together. But frequent wickets every time he tried to accelerate resulted in his dismissal that hastened the end with two overs left unconsumed.Gujarat came out all guns blazing as Parthiv repeatedly pierced a packed off side field, hitting six boundaries in the first four overs alone and unleashed his trademark cut shots as his innings progressed. The effect of Parthiv’s exuberance – the team total was 71 when he got to his fifty – meant Vidarha were simply going through the motion before an inspired team talk that followed Parthiv’s stumping turned things around.Chirag Gandhi kept milking the bowl to make 31 before an ugly hoick resulted in his downfall, sparking a lower-order implosion as Gujarat slipped from 139 for 4 to 162 for 8. All along, Axar kept picking singles, and as the target got within touching distance, Hardik Patel wasn’t afraid to take a risk. After surviving a run-out call that left players from both sides on tenterhooks for nearly five minutes with Gujarat needing eight, he muscled a boundary over cover. The final nail in the coffin was hammered when Axar slapped one over the off side field to seal a heart-stopping thriller in the penultimate over.

Younis Khan, the Pakistan batsman, has called for a truce in the row between the PCB and fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar.The Pakistan board had banned Shoaib for five years on grounds on indiscipline. Following the ban, Shoaib hit out against the PCB, and said he would appeal against the ban. However, his comments to a TV channel resulted in board chairman Nasim Ashraf serving a legal notice on him, seeking damages for defamation.”I think the matter has gone too far. This whole issue is damaging for Pakistan cricket so I hope a compromise is reached,” Younis said. “Of course he is my friend, my senior and I have played alongside him for years, so my sympathies are with him.”I think the player [Akhtar] must think about his problems and the board must talk to him and solve this matter.”Akhtar had been permitted by the PCB to play in the Indian Premier League [IPL], but the organisers of the league subsequently barred his participation.Younis said Pakistan could afford to do without such controversies. “We have too many issues in Pakistan cricket. Teams are not coming to Pakistan [due to security fears] and issues like Akhtar’s will further hit Pakistan cricket.”Australia pulled out of their scheduled tour to Pakistan in March-April over security concerns, and the tight schedules of other international teams, besides the inaugural edition of the IPL, leaves Pakistan with only Bangladesh to visit for five ODIs in April.

Match facts

February 3, 2016
Start time 1330 local (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

In an act of typically perverse scheduling, the limited-overs leg of England’s tour of South Africa includes five ODIs and just two T20Is, despite the fact that the World Twenty20 is looming in barely a month’s time, and both sides would doubtless benefit from a bit more sprint training in the intervening weeks.Nevertheless, such is the cross-over between the shortened formats in this day and age that the 50-over showdowns, which get underway in Bloemfontein tomorrow, still retain a relevance to both teams. If South Africa’s imperative is to cultivate that winning feeling after a chastening Test series, then England want only to carry on where they left off in a riotous finish to their tour of the UAE before Christmas.Eoin Morgan’s England are an unrecognisable outfit from the one-paced shambles that bombed out of the World Cup in Australia almost exactly 12 months ago. They bat without fear, they field like panthers and their bowlers – if still a touch raw in the post-Anderson and Broad era (albeit that the latter has been drafted back into the squad after a glut of injuries) – have shown promise that augurs well for the challenges to come.No-one would pretend that England are a finished product, but with Andrew Strauss, the ECB’s new director of cricket, preaching a more open-minded attitude to white-ball cricket, their squad has a focus that has been lacking in one-day cricket almost since the dawn of the format. Adil Rashid and David Willey even arrive in South Africa with their horizons broadened by successful stints in Australia’s Big Bash, which would have been an unthinkably progressive move in England’s not-at-all-distant past.Whether England are yet good enough to beat South Africa on home soil is a moot point, however. South Africa’s recent tour of India was a disaster in almost every facet, yet they still proved strong enough to muscle their way to a 3-2 ODI victory. This time last year, AB de Villiers was slamming a 31-ball century to trounce West Indies at Johannesburg, and after ducks in each of his last three Test innings, the only way for South Africa’s captain, surely, is up.

Form guide

South Africa: WLWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

England: WWWLL

In the spotlight

Alex Hales endured a torrid Test baptism in the recent series against South Africa. His technique and temperament received equally searching examinations and both were found wanting, as he struggled to 136 runs at 17.00 in four matches. However, a return to the shorter formats may be just what his game needs – a chance to see ball, hit ball, and worry rather less about the consequences of the wrong shot at the wrong time. The concern, however, may be the knock-on effect of his struggles on the tour so far. As his opening partner, Jason Roy, told ESPNcricinfo last week, confidence is everything for a one-day opening batsman. Hales hasn’t displayed much of that in recent times.Hashim Amla’s stunning return to form in the latter stages of the Test series was a reminder of how quickly a change of scene or circumstances can transform a player’s fortunes. Amla’s match-saving double century in Cape Town was made possible by the decision he had made earlier in the match, that the time was right to offload the burden of captaincy, and he confirmed the wisdom of that move with twin scores of 109 and 96 to set up a consolation win at Centurion. His task is now to translate that free-spirited strokeplay to the top of the one-day order. But, to judge by the serenity of his cover-driving in recent days, he’s perfectly poised to make any start count.

Teams news

Marchant de Lange is a strong bet to add to his tally of three ODI caps as South Africa look to cover the gap in their fast-bowling ranks amid the long-term absences of Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott. Although there are concerns about Kagiso Rabada’s workload following his Test heroics, he seems likely to be given the chance to start the series, while Imran Tahir – overlooked through the Test series after struggling to make an impression on the tour of India – is back in the frame as the first-choice spinner.South Africa (probable) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Chris Morris/David Wiese, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel/Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran TahirRoy is a major doubt after suffering a back spasm during training on Monday. His place at the top of the order is likely to be filled by Moeen Ali, which is not the worst rejig imaginable given that Ben Stokes’ availability after injury in the UAE would otherwise create a logjam of stroke-makers in the lower-middle order. Adil Rashid, flushed with confidence after a breakthrough winter in the Big Bash, may be given the chance to take that form straight into the 50-over format.England (probable) 1 Moeen Ali, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 James Taylor, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 David Willey, 11 Reece Topley

Pitch and conditions

A flat deck, a large outfit, and intense heat. It promises to be a sapping day’s work for whichever side gets to field first under the afternoon sun.

Stats and trivia

• AB de Villiers made his ODI debut on February 2, 2005 against England in Bloemfontein. The match was tied. Eleven years and one day later, he will play his 196th ODI at the same venue, and against the same opponents.
• South Africa have won each of their last six ODIs at Bloemfontein since that tie, most recently by 125 runs against Pakistan in 2013.
• Quinton de Kock, fresh from his maiden Test hundred at Centurion, needs seven runs to reach 2000 in ODis.

Quotes

“I focus so much on winning the game that before I realise it I’ve scored a hundred off close to 30 balls. Things like that are always possible when you aim bigger and have a bigger cause.”
AB de Villiers admits that superhuman batting feats are just one of those things.“We are not quite there yet in terms of catching up with the World Cup teams that went out there and scored 300 on a regular basis – but we are making strides towards that.”

Farewell of the day
Stephen Fleming entered the arena to a guard of honour from England’s fielders, and left to a standing ovation, while his wife, Kelly, shed a tear or two of pride. In between whiles, Fleming served up the perfect hors d’oeuvre of an innings, much as he has been serving up throughout his 14-year career. For the 28th time in his 111-Tests, Fleming finished up with a score between 50 and 69, as a sumptuous and richly promising performance was brought to a close by a loose poke outside off stump and a thin nick to the keeper. At least he goes to retirement with an average in excess of 40, but it is scant consolation for the defeat that now beckons.Flying start of the day
Matthew Bell had mustered three ducks and 48 runs in his first five innings of the series, and realistically, another failure in this match would have ruled him out of contention for the forthcoming tour to England. Perhaps James Anderson fancied him as a victim on a damp English seamer, because the over he served up midway through the morning session was as gratefully devoured as a UNICEF food parcel. Four wide long-hops, four boundaries of increasing authority, and one single later he had passed 30 for the first time in the series. Anderson, meanwhile, was required for just four more overs all day.Golden arm of the day
Monty Panesar hasn’t had the best of luck in this series – the catch that Kevin Pietersen put down in Wellington, for instance, was about the easiest chance he’ll ever be offered. But today, Monty’s luck belatedly turned. With his third ball after lunch, he dislodged Jamie How, who had hitherto looked utterly unfazed during a 48-run opening stand, but then, three balls after tea, he repeated the dose against the hapless Bell, who had hardly put a foot wrong all innings, but then chose to have a swing at Panesar’s worst delivery of the match. It was short, leg-sided and begged to be slapped, but Bell undercut it and sent a top-edge spiralling to Stuart Broad at fine leg.Back-bender of the day
On a merciless surface, England were only going to get out of it what they put in, and so all eyes turned to their tallest bowler, Broad, whose hit-the-deckability (to coin a phrase) proved a threat throughout two marathon spells. He ran in hard for nine consecutive overs either side of lunch, then 14 off the reel in the mid-afternoon, when the shine had vanished off the old ball and opportunities were at their scarcest. But he still responded with two vital wickets, both courtesy of short deliveries. His victims, Mathew Sinclair and Grant Elliott, might not be playing too many more Tests in the near future, judging by how poorly they negotiated his lifters, but Broad has undoubtedly proved his worth in this match. Not least with his batting at No. 8.Tenuous analogy of the day
At 222 for 5 at the close of play, New Zealand are down, if not entirely out of this game and the series. However, England will not begin celebrating just yet, not while a strokeplayer of the power of Brendon McCullum remains at the crease. Six years ago in Christchurch, on England’s last tour, the first Test unfolded in a spookily similar fashion to this one. England batted first and slumped to 0 for 2 (Six years later, they made 4 for 3). They were rescued by a century from their No. 4 batsman, who scored nearly 50% of the innings runs (Nasser Hussain, 106 out of 228, Kevin Pietersen 129 out of 253). New Zealand then collapsed to a seven-for from a Yorkshire-born swing bowler (Matthew Hoggard 7 for 63, Ryan Sidebottom 7 for 47), and conceded a lead of 80-odd runs (81, 85). England batted again on a sun-baked pitch, and declared on 468 for 6 (Thorpe 200, Flintoff 137) and 467 for 7 (Strauss 177, Bell 110). New Zealand set 550 and 552 respectively to win. At one stage at Christchurch, New Zealand had slipped to 252 for 6, but then came Nathan Astle’s unforgettable 222 from 153 balls, and a monstrous dose of English jitters.

Surrey opener Ian Ward anchored England A’s first innings following a rocky start in the Busta International Series match against Trinidad and Tobago at Port of Spain.

By stumps, put back after two rain interruptions, he had reached 44, moving cautiously towards a second half century in two innings following a 69 against West Indies B in Grenada last week.England A were in reasonably calm waters thanks to his no-risk, utilitarian style of batting and his ability to keep the scoreboard moving with his tickling leg side work and, by the end, the visitors had mustered 83 runs for the loss of two wickets.The departure of both John Crawley and Vikram Solanki inside the first 12 overs was a major disappointment for both batsmen who have claims to stake and points to prove on this tour and need an early success to help them on their way.But Crawley became victim to a delivery from Darryl Brown that swung late and struck him on his pads. There had been little evidence of swing in this match until then and Crawley may have been surprised at such unusual movement but whatever the reasons for his dismissal, his duck from ten balls will have frustrated him.England A were seven for one when he went replying to Trinidad’s 249 all out but someone needed to drop anchor to make sure the Busta Cup points system, which awards bonus points to teams with first innings leads, would ultimately favour the visitors.Solanki’s free-scoring approach did not suit the situation and when the captain Richard Smith replaced his new ball bowlers with spin, the Worcestershire batsman became bogged down. Dinanath Ramnarine’s seventh ball found him attempting to paddle the ball down to fine leg but he misjudged both line and length and was bowled around his legs for 11.When the groundstaff donned their yellow waterproofs in preparation for the rain that was falling over the hills behind and coming south, England A were 38 for two but Ward’s new partner Usman Afzaal was playing the spinners well and he continued his vigil after the shower had passed.In the final session, the pair added 45 without incident though the pressure on the batsmen was intense as Ramnarine, Denis Rampersad and Rajindra Dhanraj used every trick in their spinners’ manual to eke the batsmen out, including constant chatter and vociferous appeals.But it was to no avail and when the umpires offered the batsmen the light ten overs before the scheduled close, they willingly accepted knowing the third day’s play would offer no let-up in the battle against spin.In all, 26 overs were lost to rain, the first shower falling in the ninth over after England had claimed their seventh wicket of the Trinidad innings. It could have been their eighth had Solanki not put down Darrell Brown in the slips earlier.England’s fielding was a talking point since it ranged from excellent, as demonstrated by Ward’s direct throw at the stumps to dismiss Brown, to ragged, Solanki’s misses coming on top of a few fumbles in the field.According to England A coach Peter Moores, the fielding is one area that is being worked on.”Solanki took five catches in Grenada which is a top effort so we are not worried about it. Like all areas of our game we are working hard to improve our fielding. We need to take catches and we want to be clinical but it will take time.”England’s seamers accounted for the final four wickets before lunch with Chris Silverwood finishing as the pick of the bunch with 4-45 after a superb show of effort and accuracy.

The venerable Long Room at Lord’s can’t have seen many occasions quite like Adidas’s launch of the new England kit. Lights, music and catwalks blended in with priceless portraits of the ancient greats of the game, as the players paraded in their new Test, ODI and Twenty20 strips. It was a timely reminder also of the changing face of the modern game. A new international season is just around the corner, but right at this moment there’s only one topic of conversation, and it’s not something that involves England’s slick new ClimaCoolTM technology.”It’s going to be a spectacle and I’ll definitely be watching,” said Kevin Pietersen, the most outspoken advocate of English participation in the Indian Premier League, which gets underway in Bangalore tomorrow. “Hopefully it will be a massive success, and I think it’s going to be, because you have so much money being pumped into it, and you have the best players in the world, so there’s no reason why it won’t be. This could be the way cricket goes – everyone wants to see a result in three hours.””I don’t see anything wrong with any of us getting that kind of money,” said Pietersen. “Just have a look at how Twenty20 has taken over all over the world. India said they weren’t going to play it, then they went to the World Cup [ICC World Twenty20] and won it, and now it’s humungous. I just hope for the sake of the players, administrators and spectators that it’s something fresh, new and exciting. I think we might even see guys starting to play a few shots in Test matches too, which will be great.”Pietersen is not the only Englishman who’s excited at the opportunities on offer. This past week has been awash with big-name dissenters, as one by one the stars of the side have lined up to demand their slice of the pie. One significant figure who hadn’t yet had his say was England’s limited-overs captain, Paul Collingwood, who has been away on holiday in Cape Town, getting to know his newborn daughter, Keira. But, unsurprisingly, his opinion was no different to the rest.”I think it’ll be a world-class tournament, if people are getting the sort of money being put in the newspapers,” said Collingwood. “If you had an opportunity to earn four times the money over six weeks, would you take it? Of course you’d be tempted. Whether the players are at the back-end of their careers or on the outskirts of the team, they’ll have to make a decision when it comes to the crunch. I only hope it doesn’t come down to that and, in the future, we can play in the IPL, or something similar.”Something similar might just have reared its head in the past 48 hours. On Tuesday, the ECB set about organising a not-insubstantial sweetener, courtesy of Allan Stanford, the Texan billionaire who has set about transforming the game in the Caribbean. He met Clarke at Lord’s to discuss a potential £10 million winner-takes-all fixture against an All-Star Caribbean XI, and emerged from the meeting saying that the match was “very likely” to take place.Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Stanford said that his offer had been made to provide a counterpoint to the all-powerful Indian board, whom he likened to a “a 900lb gorilla”. “It’s dangerous because in business or anywhere else, you need to have checks and balances,” Stanford told the paper. “Naturally you’re never going to have a totally level playing field – that’s not the way the world works – but there shouldn’t be such an imbalance that everybody is riding on one party’s coat-tails.”Whatever the political reasons behind the offer, Pietersen was understandably excited about its implications, and brushed aside the inevitable queries about his priorities in the game. “Money like that has never been talked about in cricket before,” he said. “People can nail us and abuse us but, at the end of the day, they are not going to pay my child’s school fees in 15 years. I’m not going to be playing cricket when I’m 50, 60, so to be offered something like that, it’s like winning the lottery, isn’t it? If it happens there will be some nervous blokes. There certainly won’t be any drinking before that fixture. “Sources close to the deal have suggested that the Stanford fixture could take place in November this year, to coincide with Antigua’s Independence Day, and Collingwood – with his captaincy hat on – admitted that selection could be a bit of a headache with so much at stake. “The IPL is open to all, but with a game like that, would we share the winnings with only the 11 on the park? That would be a bit unfair,” he said. “But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Twenty20 could be massive and this amount of money is new to everyone. We’ve got to react to it, but it’s hard to say what kind of impact it’ll make.”There is so much going on in the game at present that England’s first Test, against New Zealand at Lord’s in a month’s time, barely merited a mention. But Collingwood was adamant that Test cricket remained a priority for the England players, and believed that – in time, when all the dust and fuss has settled – the new and old could work very harmoniously alongside each other.”Test cricket is still a massive part of our tradition,” said Collingwood, “and it’s still the ultimate form of the game, to be tested technically and mentally over a five-day period. But there’s two ways to look at it, because when you’re playing against the best players in the world in that kind of competition, is it as good as doing your pre-season training in England? There are plenty of skills at that level to sharpen yourself up.” Either way, of the three new strips that the players unveiled at Lord’s today, there’s only one that’ll be capturing the headlines tomorrow.

Nathan Astle, with a fine 121, saw Canterbury through a potentially tricky South Island derby at Jade Stadium today.Two run-outs in three balls strangled a promising Otago total as they lost this important ninth round Shell Cup match at Christchurch’s Jade Stadium.The all-round fielding and bowling performance was the key for a rejuvenated Canterbury side who are now set for the semi-finals at least.But it was Astle who starred with the bat, scoring his sixth Shell Cup century to bring the red and blacks home for their third succesive Cup triumph. He was dropped behind the stumps by a diving Martyn Croy when on 93, but otherwise his innings was chanceless. The experienced right hander also bowled 10 overs for just 29, helping to kill off an Otago team that always looked stronger as one-day batsmen than bowlers in theory.Astle hit his 121 off 133 balls in 164 minutes, with 12 fours and three sixes.Chris Martin, team spokesman for the day said, “I think all the results so far have helped us and I think we’re playing well enough to deserve to be there in the semis.”He continued, “I think Canterbury have a pretty strong tradition and have excelled in the finals.” Although not having a preference who he would like to meet in the final stages, Martin would obviously prefer the match to be on a home track. “I was quite surprised by the portable wicket today. It had quite a good carry and bounce and I think 230 or 240 might have been quite competitive, but we fielded well today to leave a good target in the end.”Otago, who last won the title in 1987/88, will have to wait yet another year for another chance of triumph. They are now bottom of the table on seven points, behind Auckland and Wellington (eight), Central Districts and Canterbury (10) and Northern Districts (11), with just one round to come.CD have had four games rained off, which puts them at a disadvantage if they finish level for the second semi-final spot, despite their run-rate going from worst to best today. The games won comes first, with run-rate second, if points after the next (and final) round are equal.Only ND are certainties to go further as there are no three teams able to match their 11 points. If a disaster happens for Canterbury on Thursday they could yet miss out altogether, but with “the guys starting to get a bit of confidence,” as Martin understatingly puts it, this seems unlikely.Canterbury play Wellington in round ten on Thursday. The Auckland Aces face the Northern Knights and the Otago Volts meet the Central Stags at Invercargill.The semi-finals will be held at the second placed team’s home ground on Sunday January 21st.Martin, who has yet to play in a Shell Cup final for Canterbury, looked forward to his first silverware by concluding succinctly, “with the Black Cap boys back I think most sides fear Canterbury.”

Round 3

Shanuka Dissaayake, the left-arm spinner, took 3 for 17 and effected a run-out to help Basnahira North to a 14-run win over the Schools Invitation XI at the Burgher Recreation Club Ground. Tharindu Thushan scored 36 opening the Schools’ innings, but they collapsed once he was bowled by Dissaayake. Earlier, Basnahira North were bowled out for 117 after choosing to bat, with legspinner Udara Jayasundera claiming figures of 3 for 14.Wayamba’s seamers, Chanaka Welegedara and Tissara Perera, took three wickets each in their thrilling three-run win over Kandurata at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. Chasing 128, Kandurata slipped to 58 for 5, before they were rescued by a 54-run stand between Jeewan Mendis (27) and Chintaka Jayasinghe (33). Kandurata lost Mendis and allrounder Kaushalya Weeraratne in the penultimate over, and needed 14 runs when the last over began. But their chances of a win received a setback when Jayasinghe was dismissed in the first ball of the over, and while Akalanka Ganegama struck a six, he could not follow it up with another big hit. Earlier, Wayamba lost their top-half with just 66 runs on the board, but Asela Jayasinghe blasted 41 off 21 balls to ensure that they had a total to defend.Sri Lanka opener Upul Tharanga stroked a fluent unbeaten 36-ball 58 which featured six fours and six sixes, to take Ruhuna to a comfortable seven wicket win over Basnahira South on the second game of the day at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. He was given support by Dilhara Lokuhettige, who made 37 off 23 balls, before Ruhuna finished off the chase with 52 balls to spare. Basnahira South, after deciding to bat, has made their way past fifty in the ninth over, but they fell apart once Hemantha Wickramarathne, who made 30, was dismissed.

Round 4

Ruhuna captain Indika de Saram slammed an unbeaten 43 not out off 13 balls with the aid of five sixes and two fours, in their eight-wicket trashing of the Schools Invitation XI at the Burgher Recreation Club Ground. Ruhuna were also aided by a 45-run second-wicket stand between Tharanga (28) and Lokuhettige (31). Earlier, Kushal Perera, who plays for the Sri Lanka Under-19s, scored a 46-ball 56 before the Schools XI were bowled out for 126.Wayamba, aided by an unbeaten 48 by Jeevantha Kulatunga, claimed to a thrilling one-wicket win over Basnahira South at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. Kulatunga was involved in an unbroken 46-run stand with Chanaka Welagedera to take Wayamba home. Earlier, Shalika Karunanayake, the right-arm seamer, took 3 for 20 as Basnahira South were limited to 119 for 9.Kandurata rode on Thilan Samaraweera’s 46 to beat Basnahira North by a three-wicket margin in the afternoon game at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. Samaraweera got Kandurata’s innings back on track as he added 40 runs with Weeraratne after they had slipped to 41 for 3 chasing 123. Prior to that, wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva carried his bat, scoring an unbeaten 51-ball 60. Left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana was the most successful bowler from Kandurata, finishing with figures of 3 for 16.

Round 5

Basnahira South defeated Kandurata 3-1 via a bowl-out after their match at the Burgher Recreation Club Ground was washed out. Basnahira were 33 for no loss chasing Kandurata’s imposing 200 when the rains came down. Earlier, Chamara Kapugedera struck 67 off 33, before Jeewan Mendis took centre stage, hammering 48 off only 18 balls aided by four sixes and as many fours.Michael Vandort, who remained unbeaten on 30, and Mahela Udawatte (33), added 65 runs for the first wicket before Wayamba beat the Schools Invitation XI by 27 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method at the Colts Cricket Club Ground. Put in, the Schools XI made 141 with Rangana Herath taking 3 for 20. Angelo Perera, with 47, was the Schools’ top scorer.Basnahira North’s bowlers were on target as they overcome Ruhuna by a 3-1 margin in the bowl-out after their match at the Colts Cricket Club Ground was abandoned without a ball being bowled.The Super Four matches along with the final on May 1 will be played at the Welagedera Stadium in Kurunegala.Points table

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out