Munaweera helps Sri Lanka set India tough chase
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COLOMBO: Batsman Dilshan Munaweera smashed his maiden Twenty20 half-century to help Sri Lanka post a challenging 170-7 against India in the one-off match in Colombo on Wednesday.
Munaweera hit a 29-ball 53 before Ashan Priyanjan scored an run-a-ball 40 not out to lift the Sri Lankan total after a middle-order collapse at the R Premadasa Stadium.
Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal claimed three wickets despite giving away 43 runs in his four overs to make the visitors fight back after a quick start by Sri Lankan batsmen.
The hosts slipped from 99-3 to 113-6 before Priyanjan put on crucial partnerships with lower-order batsmen including a 36-run unbeaten stand with number nine Isuru Udana, who hit a 10-ball 19.
Earlier rain delayed the game by 40 minutes before the umpires decided on a 7.40pm start to the match. Virat Kohli’s India whitewashed the hosts in the preceding Test and one-day series, 3-0 and 5-0 respectively, during the ongoing tour.
Scoreboard
SRI LANKA:
N. Dickwella b Bumrah 17
W.U. Tharanga b Kumar 5
E.M.D.Y. Munaweera b Kuldeep 53
A.D. Mathews st Dhoni b Chahal 7
S.M.A. Priyanjan not out 40
N.L.T.C. Perera b Chahal 11
M.D. Shanaka b Chahal 0
S. Prasanna c Kohli b Kuldeep 11
I. Udana not out 19
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-3) 7
TOTAL (for seven wkts, 20 overs) 170
FALL OF WKTS: 1-23, 2-46, 3-62, 4-99, 5-113, 6-113, 7-134.
DID NOT BAT: A. Dananjaya, S.L. Malinga.
BOWLING: Kumar 4-0-36-1; Bumrah 4-0-38-1 (2w); Chahal 4-0-43-3 (1w); Patel 4-0-30-0; Kuldeep Yadav 4-0-20-2.
INDIA: R.G. Sharma, K.L. Rahul, V. Kohli, M.K. Pandey, M.S. Dhoni, K.M. Jadhav, A.R. Patel, B. Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Y.S. Chahal, J.J. Bumrah.
UMPIRES: R.E.J. Martinesz (Sri Lanka) and R.S.A. Palliyaguruge (Sri Lanka).
TV UMPIRE: R.R. Wimalasiri (Sri Lanka).
MATCH REFEREE: A.J. Pycroft (Zimbabwe).
Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2017
