It is all over for Kandurata Maroons. The Otago Volts put paid to their aspirations in the CLT20 qualifiers as the team from New Zealand recorded its second successive win to move a step closer to the main stage.
On Wednesday, it was Dutch professional Ryan ten Doeschate who marooned the Kandurata team. Showing his worth as an all-rounder, Doeschate (two for nine and 64 off 32 balls with five sixes) punctured the Lankan team’s hopes as Volts cantered to a six-wicket victory. Chasing 155 to win, they cruised home with two overs to spare.
Left-hander Hamish Rutherford’s quick-fire 20 off 15 balls gave Volts a flying start. But off-spinner Suraj Ranadiv gave the first breakthrough by scalping the opener. The Lankan team then got the important wicket of Brendon McCullum in the eighth over, thanks to a smart piece of stumping by Kumar Sangakkara.
His departure brought in Doeschate, who joined the team on Tuesday night. The all-rounder unleashed a flurry of strokes to take the match away from the Lankan team. He began his demolition act by slamming leg-spinner Kaushal Lokuarachchi for three leg-side sixes and struck one more before reaching his half-century off 26 balls. He was finally out to a brilliant catch at deep square-leg with Volts nine runs away from victory.
Kandurata Maroons’s innings was built around Upul Tharanga’s 55-ball 76 (6x4, 3x6). The left-handed opener flourished even as the other batsmen, including Sangakkara, floundered against a disciplined attack.
Brief scores: Kandurata Maroons 154-9 in 20 overs (Tharanga 76, Butler 3-21) lost to Otago Volts 157-4 in 18 overs (Ten Doeschate 64, Lokuhettige 3-20).