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Negombo registered a massive 83-run win over Ragama in the 51st encounter of the 2024 Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament at the FTZ Sports Complex in Katunayake on Tuesday (July 30). Meanwhile, Ace Capital beat Panadura by 79 runs in the 52nd game of the season at the Sri Lanka Army International Cricket Stadium.
Barring the two aforementioned games, the remaining matches were abandoned as rain played spoilsport all across Sri Lanka.
Let's take a look at how the teams are poised on the points table after the completion of 56 games so far:
Ace Capital Cricket Club, having won all six of their games this season, occupy the top spot on the Group A points table with 12 points to their name and a net run rate of +0.996. Nondescripts Cricket Club are second on the standings with nine points in six matches. They have won four, lost one, and played one game that ended in a no-result with a net run rate of +1.467.
Here's the updated Group A standings:
Sinhalese Sports Club, and Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic Club have managed to score eight points each this season. Sinhalese with one game less are in the third position with a net run average of +1.098, while Bloomfield are fourth with a net run rate of +0.036.
The Chilaw Marians Sports Club are in the fifth place with five points in seven matches, while Tamil Union Cricket, with five points too, are occupying the sixth position with a slightly inferior net run rate of -0.837.
Ragama, Panadura Sports Club, and Negombo Cricket Club languish at the bottom of the points table with four, three, and two points to their names having played six matches each this season. They occupy the seventh, eighth, and ninth positions, respectively.
Negombo, Capitals win their respective MCLOT 2024 matches in a rain-hit round of games
In a rain-hit round of cricket, only two games came to a definitive conclusion in the 2024 Major Clubs Limited Over Tournament.
Negombo posted a total of 200/7 in the first 45 overs of the 51st game of the season as Dilshan Munaweera (54 off 84) and Himanshu Liyange (59 off 70) top-scored for Negombo against Ragama. The batting duo shared five boundaries and two maximums between them. Kalhara Senaratne (4/34) was the highest wicket-taker for Ragama, as he scalped four at a miserly economy rate of 3.77.
Rain once again interrupted play, and the revised target for Ragama was set at 169 runs in 32 overs. In reply, they were bowled out for a paltry 85 in just 28.3 overs as Negombo bowlers Pasindu Ushettige (4/14) and Nishan Paris (4/15) had a field day as they helped their team register an 83-run victory.
The 52nd match of the tournament saw Ace Capital put up a first-innings total of 171/9 against Panadura Sports Club, courtesy of contributions from Sithara Gimhan (37 off 47), Sakuna Liyange (31 off 41), and Raveen de Silva (32* off 64). Imthiyas Slaza took three wickets for Panadura.
Chasing 172, the Panadura batting lineup never got going as they got bundled out for a mere 92 in just 30.1 deliveries, handing the Capitals a 79-run victory.
Thanuka Dabare claimed three, while the likes of Sithum Disanayaka, Wanuja Sahan, and Theeraka Ranatunga took two wickets each for the Ace Capitals.
