Lanka U-19 snatch thrilling win from Pakistan

COLOMBO: Elegant left hander Kithruwan Withanage struck an unbeaten half century to help Sri Lanka under 19 beat Pakistan under 19 by one wicket in the last ball of the innings in a thrilling Tri Nation limited overs cricket tournament final worked off at the P. Saravanamuttu Oval in Colombo yesterday.

The schoolboy of Royal College remained unbeaten on 75 from 82 deliveries inclusive of three sixes and five boundaries as the home side overtook their opponents total of 209 runs in the last ball of the innings.

Withanage batting at number five held the middle order together and steadied the innings through some sensible batting. Sri Lanka under 19 lost half of their side for 98 runs and were under tremendous pressure with Pakistan under 19 taking a firm grip on the game.

However Withanage kept one end occupied with a stubborn batting performance and rallied around through the tail enders to pull off a memorable victory at the end.

Together with Charith Jayampathy they put on 27 valuable runs for the eighth wicket before adding the finishing touches with the support of Maduka Liyanapathiranage and last man Nadeera Rajaguru.

Sri Lanka under 19 of course got off to a flying start through their openers Andy Berenger and Bhanuka Rajapaksa. But with the introduction of spinners the Sri Lankan innings fell apart before they slumped to 114 for 6 at the half way stage of the innings.

Earlier Pakistan under 19 managed to post a competitive total of 209 runs after they had been put into bat. Opener Azeem Ghumman hit a top score of 65 from 101 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.

Pakistan under 19 were well placed to pile up a much bigger total as they reached 134 for 3 by the 30th over of the innings. However some accurate bowling from Madhuka Liyanapathiranage put the brakes on the scoring rate and was able to contain the batsmen to a great extent.