Colts Cricket Club and the Sinhalese Sports Club squeezed into the Premier League final after dramatic batting collapses that left both sides close to defeat on the final day.
Colts CC were the first to book their place in next weeks final, which will be played at SCC Grounds. Starting the day on 131 for two chasing a 217 run target they had looked clear favourites.
But NCC, led by their fast bowlers Ravindu Pushpakumara and Ishara Amarasinghe, who picked up three wickets apiece, fought back on a stifling Sunday morning at P.Saravanamuttu Stadium.
Sajith Fernando only added one run to his overnight score of 38 before he feathered a catch to Kumar Sangakkara behind the stumps and Puspakumara then quickly dismissed Jevantha Kulatunga for a six-ball duck (134 for four).
Enter Chaminda Vaas, whose growing confidence with the bat is now producing consistent runs for Sri Lanka in Test cricket. This time he saved Colts with an invaluable unbeaten 31 from 53 balls as the wickets continued to tumble.
Romesh Kaluwitharana was eventually caught by Naweed Nawaz off the experienced Ruwan Kalpage, Sri Lanka's current fielding coach, and Eric Upashantha only lasted two balls (152 for six).
Amerasinghe came back to grab two more wickets and Colts were tottering on 195 for eight still needing 22 to win. But Vaas's nerve held, as did Kaushalya Weereratne's who scored 14 priceless runs.
At Maitland Place, SSC looked to have established a position of dominance, but Indika de Saram, back on the sidelines after the promotion of Tillakaratne Dilshan, scored 108 from 174 balls, hitting ten fours.
He added 96 runs with Ranga Dias after the early loss of Malintha Gajanayake in the morning to leave SSC a small but difficult 109 run target on a pitch that had now deteriorated appreciably
SSC were soon in trouble. Avishka Gunawardene completed a miserable week in which he has lost his place in the one-day squad with a second ball duck.
When Mahela Jayawardene was stumped for a brisk 19, the innings went into rapid decline and Tamil Union held the initiative with SSC slipping to 73 for 7.
But Thilan Samaraweera, who had picked up five wickets in the Tamil Union innings, guided SSC home with nerveless 46 not out from 66 balls.
© CricInfo
| Teams | Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Sajith Fernando, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Thilan Samaraweera, Mahela Jayawardene, Ruwan Kalpage. |
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