(CMC) – Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Fletcher, and Fabian Allen are out, but Dominic Drakes, Romario Shepherd, and the Colombo Stars are into the final of the Lanka Premier League.
None of the five West Indians played a major role yesterday, when the Stars, led by a half-century from Sri Lanka international Charith Asalanka, cruised to a six-wicket win against Kandy Falcons in the second qualifier at the Premadasa Stadium.
Asalanka struck seven fours and three sixes in the top score of 64 from 40 balls, but when he departed the Stars, chasing 169 for victory, still needed 49 from 37 balls.
After Drakes followed him soon after for two in the 15th over, former England international Ravi Bopara, not out on 29, and Sri Lanka international Angelo Mathews, not out on 21, shared 45 unbroken for the fifth wicket to take the Stars over the finish line and into the final today against Jaffna Kings at the same venue.
It was a hugely disappointing end for Falcons after they finished at the top of the round-robin preliminary stage with 14 points from seven wins in eight matches, but they have only themselves to blame, having botched a handful of chances in the Stars’ chase.
“What we did in the field was very bad,” Falcons captain Wanindu Hasaranga said. “We can’t miss catches like these.”
Both Mathews and Bopara were put down early in their innings off Hasaranga, after Nissanka Madushka was let off early in the chase off Brathwaite in the second over, and Oshane Thomas put down Asalanka on nine in the fifth over.
Both Fletcher and Allen fell for first ball ducks after Stars won the toss and decided to field, but Brathwaite hit one four and one six in 15 from five balls in Falcons’ total of 168 for six.
Drakes, son of former Barbados and West Indies all-rounder Vasbert Drakes, took the scalp of Chamika Karunaratne in his four overs, which cost 32, but Shepherd did not play.
Brathwaite, the tournament’s leading bowler, removed Madushka for 11 in the second over, but he leaked 31 in his three overs, and Allen ended with 0-38 from 3.5 overs.
