Matt Henry six-for and Will Young hundred crush India
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Bloomfield stormed to the pinnacle of Sri Lanka’s First-Class cricket, clinching their first title in 15 years with a commanding victory over the star-studded NCC in the final last week. With a half-dozen Sri Lanka internationals in their ranks, NCC entered the contest as outright favourites, but one man turned the game on its head with a marathon innings that will be talked about for years to come.
Left-handed opener Ron Kashyapa Chandraguptha batted for two full days under the sweltering Colombo sun, crafting a career-best 237 – his maiden First-Class double hundred. His monumental knock propelled Bloomfield to a mammoth 508 all out in the first innings, virtually shutting the door on NCC. While time ran out for an outright win, Bloomfield only needed the crucial first-innings lead, and they wrapped it up in style, bundling out NCC for 312.
“It was my maiden double hundred, and to score it in a final was extra special. They had a top-class attack, probably the best pace unit in domestic cricket, so getting a big knock against them felt really satisfying,” Chandraguptha told Telecom Asia Sport.
NCC, at least on paper, had all the firepower, but cricket is played on turf, not team sheets. Chandraguptha knew that to take the wind out of their sails, he had to bat long and anchor the innings.
“They were the favourites coming into the final, but I was determined to take responsibility. If I could weather the storm against their quicks, I knew partnerships would flow. Our plan was simple – pile on a big first-innings score and make life difficult for them,” he explained.
The final was played at the R. Premadasa Stadium, where Colombo’s relentless heat tests even the fittest cricketers. But Chandraguptha, a man on a mission, batted through six grueling sessions without breaking down.
“It was brutally hot out there, but I had worked hard on my fitness. Thankfully, I never cramped up, and credit goes to our trainer for keeping me hydrated throughout the innings,” he added.
Unlike some of their more glamorous rivals, Bloomfield had no big names in their lineup. However, their biggest advantage was consistency – no players missing due to international or franchise commitments, allowing them to gel as a unit. Chandraguptha himself had moved to Bloomfield this season after stints with Tamil Union and Colombo Cricket Club, and he made an immediate impact.
His opening partner, Hasitha Boyagoda, a schoolmate from Trinity College, Kandy, provided the perfect foil. The duo laid the foundation with a 119-run opening stand, before Chandraguptha stitched together a match-defining 200-run partnership for the second wicket with Asitha Wanninayake.
“Boyagoda is one of the finest openers we have. He’s had his share of injury setbacks, but he was solid in the final, handling extra pace brilliantly. As for Wanninayake, I just told him to enjoy the occasion. You don’t get to face such quality attacks in a final too often, and he made the most of it,” Chandraguptha said.
Wanninayake, a product of St. Anthony’s College, Kandy, fell agonizingly short of a century in the first innings, run out for 96. However, he made amends in the second innings, crafting an unbeaten 104 to drive the final nail in NCC’s coffin.
With such a commanding performance in a title clash, will Chandraguptha’s knock force the selectors to sit up and take notice? He remains unfazed, keeping his feet firmly on the ground.
“The NSL tournament is coming up, and all I want to do is keep performing there. That’s my focus right now,” he said.
For now, Bloomfield are basking in the glory of their long-awaited triumph, and at the heart of it is a gritty left-hander who stood tall when it mattered most. If Chandraguptha continues to pile on the runs, it won’t be long before a national call-up beckons.
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India have been scrambling to get their Test players some Test-like preparation but Test cricket came to right where they were with Matt Henry returning to action and immediately finding the magical length that traps batters on the crease and hits the top of the stumps. In what has to be among a handful of the greatest first overs ever bowled in an ODI innings, he consigned to ducks Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, all but ending India’s chase of 334, a target they would have been pretty happy with after Will Young’s personal best of 125 off 108 had taken New Zealand to 256 for 4 in the 37th over.
While India will be pleased with their constant strikes in the middle overs, an area they have struggled in in the past, they will also reflect on the 85-run opening stand in these conditions. Auqib Nabi had Young dropped twice on 5, but after that India didn’t look as threatening with the new ball.
You might think India were reverting to type in good batting conditions in Mount Maunganui, but this was a surprisingly good start for New Zealand. Tim Seifert was the first New Zealand batter since Martin Guptill in 2015 to complete a fifty in the first 10 overs, also his maiden one in the format. This was also New Zealand’s first opening stand of 50 or more in the last eight ODIs.
Just when it was looking ominous for India, Gurnoor Brar struck with his typical mode of attack: short and at high pace even if the cost of that was a high economy rate. Axar Patel then tightened the screws, resulting in the wickets of Nick Kelly and Dean Foxcroft, both in for New Zealand players away at the Test camp.
Will Young made a career-best 125 off 108 balls (Cricinfo)
A third replacement, Finn Allen provided New Zealand a possible alternative for the future. By now Young had got over his initial stumbles. He and Allen took down Kuldeep Yadav, playing his first match of the tour, and then just carried attacking other bowlers in a fourth-wicket partnership of 90 runs in a little over 10 overs.
Having dropped a much easier catch in the slips earlier, Rohit took a diving low catch to his right at short cover to send Allen back and drag the marauding New Zealand back.
Young stayed quiet only for two overs before consigning Kuldeep to overs of nine and 12 runs. He had gone from 50 off 49 to 124 off 106, forcing Iyer to go to his sixth bowler, Naman Dhir. Young was not satisfied with nine runs off the first balls of Dhir’s over, and ended up too close to the pitch of one, thus unable to clear deep midwicket. Moments later, Dhir took a special catch running in from deep midwicket and diving low to get the wicket of Michael Bracewell off another Brar short ball.
Now Mitchell Santner had to manage batting with the bowlers, which he did for a while, hitting two sixes off Axar in between, but Arshdeep Singh returned to take the wicket of Santner. India took 6 for 77 in the last 13.1 overs, reason to feel they carried momentum into the chase.
Henry made a mockery of any such notion. Having missed most of the T20Is with a leg injury and then the ODIs with fears of concussion after a collision with Devon Conway on the eve of the series, Henry stayed back for the fourth ODI to just prove his fitness and get some in-competition overs in his legs. And like a well-oiled machine, he landed the first ball on the money: the back half of good length, on off, kicking at Rohit and seaming away, squaring him up and taking the edge to first slip. A sight reminiscent of the twilight of Rohit’s Test career.
Virat Kohli was bowled for 0 off 4 (Cricinfo)
The next ball would have reminded Kohli of the travails of Test cricket. Fuller side of good length, drawing him forward, seaming away, missing the outside edge by inches. Three balls later, Henry again wobbled the seam and an almost identically pitched delivery seamed in and stayed low to rattle Kohli’s furniture.
Iyer became the first Indian to score a golden duck on captaincy debut when Henry again trapped him on the crease and nipped one past his inside edge. It took New Zealand a DRS review to secure this wicket, but Henry was never uncertain, going up in celebration even before turning to appeal.
New Zealand 333 in 50 overs (Will Young 125, Tim Seifert 58; Axar Patel 2-39, Aquib Nabi 2-59, Gurnoor Brar 2-69 ) beat India 89 in 26.4 overs (Ishan Kishan 27; Matt Henry 6-27, Matthew Fisher 3-31 ) by 244 runs
Diyansa de Silva of Bishop’s College and Lihini Jayakody of Gateway College Colombo advanced to the final of the Girls’ Under-18 singles at the SLTA YETI Hard Courts National 2026, currently being held at the Sri Lanka Tennis Association hard courts.
Diyansa produced a commanding performance in her semi-final, defeating Risindi Hewawasam 6-2, 6-0 to book her place in the final.
Lihini also secured her place in the title decider after her semi-final against Gehansa Methnad ended with Gehansa retiring while trailing 4-3.
The two young players will now meet in the final for the Under-18 girls’ singles crown.
Citizens Development Business Finance [CDB] and Hatton National Bank [HNB] ‘A’ will clash in the final of the 11th Singer MCA Super Premier T20 Tournament at the CCC ground under lights today. Hayleys Group A will take on Fairfirst Insurance to determine the third spot at the same venue in the afternoon.
In the semifinals played on Wednesday [11th] CDB beat Hayleys Group A by 4 wickets while HNB ‘A’ beat Fairfirst Insurance in a super over after the match was tied.
At the BRC ground Pawantha Weerasinghe scored 58 off 39 balls and Shevon Daniel scored 44 off 22 balls for HNB ‘A’ to help them chase down 179/8 posted by Hayleys Group ‘A’. Nuwanidu Fernando topped the Hayleys score card with 67 off 46 balls.
At the Bloomfield ground Fairfirst Insurance and HNB ‘A’ scored 170 runs each in their 20 overs but HNB’A’ won the game scoring 17 runs to Fairfirsts Inurance’s 8 runs in the super over.
CDB beat Hayleys Group ‘A’ by four wickets
179/8 in 20 overs [Pulindu Perera 35, Nuwanidu Fernando 67, Minod Bhanuka 27, Kavindu Pathirathne 14*; Lahiru Madushanka 1-25, Navindu Prabash 2-51, Dunith Wellalage 3-12, Sachindu Colombage 1-30, Pawantha Weerasinghe 1-06]
180/6 in 19.4 overs [Shevon Daniel 44, Vishad Randika 10, Pawantha Weerasinghe 58, Muditha Lakshan 42; Kavishka Anjula 1-38, Kavindu Pathirathne 3-27, Treveen Mathew 1-23, Nisala Abeyrathne 1-32]
HNB ‘A’ beat Fairfirst Insurance in the Super Over
170/9 in 20 overs [Gaviru Senehas 22, Isuru Fernando 35, Anuk Fernando 18, Ranesh Silva 26, Dushan Vimukthi 31; Hivin Kenula 1-48, Ashian Daniel 1-23, Praveen Jayawickrema 1-28, Malsha Tharupathi 2-14] and 8/0 in 1 over [Thanuka Dbare 07*; Chamindu Wijesinghe 0-08]
170/10 in 20 overs [Ranmith Jayasena 21, Sohan de Livera 30, Janishka Perera 34, Chamindu Wijesinghe 47, Malsha Tharupathi 21; Himesh Ramanayake 3-31, Sangeeeth Cooray 2-09, Thanuka Dabare 2-40, Dilum Sudeera 1-26] and 17/1 in 1 over [Malsha Tharupathi 13*, Chamindu wijesinghe 04; Himesh Ramanayake 1-17]
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