Kandy Warriors, having tested their first win in their last match suffered yet another defeat, their fourth in five matches, as Jaffna Kings downed them by seven wickets to consolidate their own position at the top of the Lanka Premier League 2021 points table.
Shoaib Malik was the hero for the Kings with his all-round showing in the rain-curtailed game at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Kings were set a modest target of only 97 runs to chase in 12 overs and they did it in only 8.4 overs to boost their net run rate as well.
The chase started in a brisk fashion as the openers Upul Tharanga and Avishka Fernando got off to a flyer, hitting 13 off 8 and 23 off 12 deliveries respectively before being dismissed. At 47-2 in just the fifth over, the game was almost going only one way and it went that way only even as Tom Kohler-Cadmore fell as the third wicket in the innings.
Malik was joined by Thisara Perera, the skipper of the Kings and the two build up an unbeaten 43 runs stand. Malik remained not out on 14 off nine balls and the left-hander Perera hit four fours and one six to get to 29 off just 13 balls and finish the game.
Earlier in the day, Kings after winning the toss decided to field first as the decision was guided by the turbulent weather which threatened for heaven to open up and rain anytime. In the curtailed 12 over a side game, Malik bowled with control and precision as the 39 year old Pakistani gave way only 19 runs in his three overs and also picked up an important wicket of compatriot Ahmed Shehzad to break the 35 run opening stand.
Charith Asalanka top-scored for Warriors with an unbeaten 44 from 34 balls.