LPL 2020: Match 7, COL vs DAM – Shanaka @ 2000 T20 runs, End of Chandimal's streak without a duck and more stats

Dambulla Viiking bounced back from a big defeat as they got the better of the Colombo Kings who were unbeaten in the tournament until Monday. Dambulla lost their openers inside two overs and were 82/4 by 11th over. Skipper Dasun Shanaka smashed seven boundaries on his way to a 34-ball 56 to push Viiking to 175/9. No batsman of Colombo Kings got even 20 other than Laurie Evans as they were bundled out to 147 in 18.4 overs. Evans alone scored 59 from 33 balls with nine boundaries.

Here are all the statistical highlights from Dambulla Viiking’s 28-run victory during the COL vs DAM game:

A rare duck for Chandimal in T20s:

107 – Dinesh Chandimal got dismissed for a duck in the Twenty20 format for the first time since 2009. His first and only other duck in T20s came in only his 6th T20 innings in 2009. Chandimal batted in 107 consecutive innings in Twenty20 cricket without being dismissed for a duck. Only Chris Gayle (145 in 2012-2016) and MS Dhoni (108* – Since 2015) have longer streaks than Chandimal in the T20 format without a duck.

2 – Dinesh Chandimal has only two ducks across the 114 innings he has batted in the Twenty20 format thus far; the 2nd fewest for any player who has batted in 100 or more Twenty20 innings. England’s Ben Cox has only one duck in T20s to his name across the 105 innings he has batted.

A record number of catches:

17 – A total of 17 wickets during COL vs DAM game turned out to be ‘caught’ dismissals; the joint-most number of ‘caught’ wickets during a T20 hosted by Sri Lanka. The 2015 domestic game between Chilaw Marians CC and Bloomfield CAC also witnessed 17 batsmen getting dismissed via ‘caught’.

Only one game in the history of T20 cricket recorded more than 17 batters getting out caught – 18 during the 2017-18 Super Smash T20 match between Northern Districts and Otago.

Pushpakumara’s wicket-taking streak:

18 – Malinda Pushpakumara has picked up at least one wicket in each of the 18 innings in the Twenty20 since the start of 2019. The left-arm spinner bagged as many as 41 wickets in those 18 innings at an average of 9.39. The COL vs DAM game was the 13th time in those 18 innings where Pushpakumara claimed two or more wickets.

Russell stars with the ball:

3 – Andre Russell took three catches and picked up three wickets during Dambulla Viiking’s innings but scored only five runs with the bat. Only two players before Russell did this feat on Sri Lankan soil but had not scored a run – Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (4 wickets & 4 catches) for Colts CC against Badureliya SC in 2007 and Malinda Pushpakumara (3 wickets & 3 catches) for SLPACC against Chilaw MCC in 2015.

Shanaka @ 2000 runs:

2010 – Dasun Shanaka completed 2000 runs in the Twenty20 format when he went past his individual score of 46. Shanaka’s batting strike rate at the moment reads 146.71 which is the 2nd highest for any Sri Lankan with 2000+ T20 runs only behind Thisara Perera’s 149.13.

11/11 – Each of Dasun Shanaka’s 11 fifty-plus scores in the Twenty20 format came while batting at No.4 and lower position. Shanaka has scored as many as nine 50+ scores which includes two hundreds in the T20 format on Sri Lankan soil. Shanaka’s 56 during the COL vs DAM game was his 7th fifty-plus score in the T20 cricket on Sri Lankan soil while leading the team.