DUBAI: Skipper Sugeesha Dinushan produced a superb allround performance to propel Old Royalists to a convincing victory over archrivals Old Thomians in the first T20 ‘Battle of the Blues’ in the Middle East.
The match, played at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai Sports City on 6 April, saw the old Thomians’ captain Randesh Vas winning the toss and electing to take first lease of the wicket in the first Royal-Thomian T20 duel in the desert.
However, rival captain Sugeesha landed major blows with both bat and ball from which S. Thomas never recovered. First, the left-arm spinner spun a web around the Old Thomians’ innings by claiming 4 wickets for 10 runs in 4 overs to restrict them to 137 for 7 in 20 overs.
The only batsmen to stay on top were Meshadh Peiris, who had scored a century in the Big Match in Colombo, and who scored a half-century for his side in Dubai off 36 balls including one six and five boundaries, and the burly Anura Bandaranayke, who raced to an unbeaten 50 in the final over of his team’s innings with 2 fours and a fairytale last ball six.
Then, after a cautious start, Royal skipper and opening batsman Sugeesha unleashed his batting prowess on the unsuspecting rival bowling attack. The right-handed Sugeesha, who played in the ‘Battle of the Blues’ match in Colombo in 2000, clobbered 73 not out off 54 deliveries with 4 sixes and 4 fours.
During his innings, the Old Royalist captain led from the front, building an unbroken 82-run third wicket stand with Amila Kariyakarawana (36 not out with 2 sixes and 2 fours) and hitting two sixes in succession to seal the fate of the match in the 17th over to take the team’s total to 143 for 2.
Playing in the true spirit of the gentleman’s game, the two teams generated plenty of excitement to keep the enthusiastic spectators entertained.
The Guest of Honour at the event was COO and General Counsellor of ICC, Iain Higgins who gave away books related to the International Cricket Council as mementoes to players of both teams while the chief guest was former Thomian captain Mohan de Silva, who led S. Thomas in 1975. The organisers later hosted an awards ceremony at the Seaman’s Club in Dubai to honour the day’s top performers.
Commenting on the first T20 match, Deepal Rajaguru, former President and current patron , Old Royalists in the UAE (ORUAE), said: I’m very fortunate to be a part of cricket history created in UAE, having witnessed the inaugural T20 match between two great cricketing schools in Sri Lanka which between them boast of a cricketing history of 139 years! Old Royalists and the Old Thomians introduced the `Gulf Big Match’ concept in 1999, in the UAE, for the first time, among all old boys associations in the UAE. But for 16 years this annual ‘Battle of the Blues’ in the Middle East was played with the soft `tape’ ball. Now a new era has dawned with the first T20 cricket match between the old boys of the two schools played with the leather ball. This event held in the highest order and quality takes our memories back to the wonderful days of school cricket played in the right spirit and in a real leather ball cricket environment.”
Iqbal Marjan, Founder member of STC OBA- UAE, said: “The Old Boys Association of S. Thomas in the UAE is proud to have played a role in organising this historic match, once again proving that cricket is a game that can thrive in any environment, any situation and under any format. We are confident that the first T20 match between the alumni of Royal and S. Thomas in the UAE will be a trendsetter for T20 games between the old boys of other schools too, who are keen to preserve the great sporting traditions back home and at the same time support the continuous bonding with compatriots in this part of the world.”
Both Deepal and Iqbal thanked the sponsors, the cricket coordinators of both schools and the two captains for their contribution and support to ensure a successful event and the making of T20 history in the Gulf.
Chief Scores
Toss won by: Old Thomians
Old Thomians – 137 for 7 in 20 overs
(Anura Bandaranayke 50 not out, Meshadh Peiris 50, Sadesh De Silva 13, Sugeesha Dinushan 4 for 10)
Old Royalists – 143 for 2 in 16.5 overs
(Sugeesha Dinushan 73 not out, Amila Kariyakarawana 36 not out, Danushka Edussuriya 15, Shehan Jayawardena 12)
Result: Old Royalists won by 8 wickets
Man of the Match: Sugeesha Dinushan
THE TWO TEAMS PICKED THEIR PLAYING ELEVEN FROM THE FOLLOWING SQUADS:
Old Royalists: Sugeesha Dinushan (Captain), Yasitha Abeykoon, Shehan Jayawardena, Amila Kariyakarawana, Amal Karunaratne, Roshan Chandrasena, Daminda Dharmapala, Sadheesh Balan, Mohammed Najmi, Arshiq Muhseen, Zafraz Faiz, Kethiswram Singaravel, Danushka Edussuriya, Tharindu Abeysekera and Chamod Gunarathna.
Old Thomians: Randesh Vas (Captain), Anura Bandaranayke, Bhathiya Karunaratne, Meshadh Peiris, Sadesh De Silva, Jonathan Devadasan, Nimesh Chamara, Sailas Mohamed Kaleel, Buddika Thelge, Nanthankumar Diluxshan, Aaron William Benjamin, Rajivan Radhakrishnan, Ian Antonio Rodrigo, George Kulasekere, Rukshan Mendis.
