END OF OVER:
17 | (wicket maiden) | KAF: 124/10 (59 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.29, RRR: 19.66)

  • Shiraz Ahmed0 (0b)
  • Jeffrey Vandersay4-1-25-6
  • Naveen-ul-Haq2-0-9-1

11.20pm And with that we're done with the group stages. Tomorrow is a rest day and the action returns on Sunday with an Eliminator-Qualifier 1 double header. Join us then, but for now it's good night from me!

11:10pm Jeffrey Vandersay is the Player of the Match: "I'm so happy to make a comeback and play in the LPL. Initially I was not in the draft, and it's a satisfying moment to put in this performance. I also went through some tough situations in life. I give God the glory for giving me the strength to get through it."

Kandy skipper Angelo Perera blames their defeat on poor execution: "Execution-wise we missed many crucial situations. Chasing 180 I thought we got off to a very good start, but we messed up at the end.

Asked about bowling pace at the end he says: "We always back them. The last three games they've really come through for us, so we backed them to execute, but they were nowhere close."

On the tournament he says: "Points don't reflect on the way we played, we've taken a majority of the games to the last few overs."

Colombo skipper Angelo Mathews: "We had ups and downs, but the way the boys showed up today was fantastic. I thought the way Kusal and Dhananjaya batted took the game away from Kandy."

10.55pm So it's the the Colombo Stars that will join Jaffna, Galle and Dambulla in the playoffs. They've registered a convincing 58-run win over the Kandy Warriors, who were behind in this game pretty much from the get-go.

Yes, there was a brief period when Ravi Bopara (47 off 31) and Charith Asalanka were going well - the pair put on a 54-run stand off 36 - but Seekkuge Prasanna, for the second time in as many games against the Warriors, intevened to devastating effect. In the space of an over he took out Bopara and Angelo Perera, to leave Kandy reeling.

This built on the excellent work of Jeffrey Vandersay who, on his was way to career-best figures of 6 for 25, would first remove both opening batters and then return to break the Bopara-Asalanka stand, trapping the latter lbw.

But the match had already gotten away from the Warriors much earlier than that. Kusal Perera's 38-ball 58 - which included partnerships with Dhananjaya de Silva (40 off 28) and Dinesh Chandimal (44* off 29) - had set up the Stars innings having been put into bat, but while the Kandy spinners had dragged things back in the middle overs, it was the decision to persevere with pace in the death overs that proved fatal. The seam pairing of Al-Amin Hossain and Shiraz Ahmed gave away 87 runs in six overs between them, while the final five overs cost Kandy 64 runs.

16.6
W
Vandersay to Al-Amin Hossain, OUT, Well it's not a hat-trick but it's the best figures in the LPL so far! This is a swing across the line that gets an under edge through to the keeper. Six for Vandersay and the Stars are through to the playoffs!

Al-Amin Hossain c †Perera b Vandersay 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

16.5
0
Vandersay to Al-Amin Hossain, no run, Oh so close! it's the googly and it shaves the off stump.

hat trick ball...

16.4
W
Vandersay to Mendis, OUT, And it's another! And it's a five-for for Vandersay! This is tossed up and Mendis goes for the big hit down the ground, but can't get a hold of it though and it goes straight up. Mid-off comes around to take the catch.

PHKD Mendis c Chameera b Vandersay 13 (13b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

16.3
W
Vandersay to Colombage, OUT, High and out! Goes for it, and he does get under this but it catches the bottom half of the bat and it goes high but not very far. Midwicket takes an easy catch in the end.

S Colombage c Chameera b Vandersay 0 (3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Warriors 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st28K LewisM Bhanuka
2nd0RS BoparaM Bhanuka
3rd54RS BoparaKIC Asalanka
4th11RS BoparaDAS Gunaratne
5th0AK PereraDAS Gunaratne
6th30DAS GunaratnePHKD Mendis
7th1PHKD MendisN Vimukthi
8th0PHKD MendisS Colombage
9th0Al-Amin HossainPHKD Mendis
10th0Al-Amin HossainShiraz Ahmed