Jaffna Stallions 176 for 2 (Fernando 92*) beat Galle Gladiators 175 for 8 (Afridi 58, Olivier 4-44) by eight wickets

How the game played out

Outside of Shahid Afridi's furious 23-ball 58, Jaffna Stallions were almost totally in control. They slowed Galle Gladiators down after Gladiators got a decent start with the bat, made breakthroughs through the middle overs, thanks partly to an outstanding spell from Wanindu Hasaranga, and prevented Afridi from turning a good score into an imposing one.

With the bat, Stallions were measured but insistent, never allowing the required rate to get very high, even when Avishka Fernando - their star local batsman - was struggling early on. Part of the refusal to panic, was perhaps grounded on the knowledge that 176 was gettable on a fast outfield that was increasingly being slicked by dew.

The rest was just trust in their skills and experience. Avishka recovered from a score of 10 off 20 at the end of the seventh over, to hit seven sixes and finish on 92 not out off 63. At the other end, Shoaib Malik - the most experienced T20 players in the most experienced player in the tournament - just kept turning the strike over to Avishka, and let him track the target down virtually on his own. Avishka hit 74 off 40 balls in Malik company, and Stallions waltzed home with three balls remaining.

What was most impressive about Stallions' win, was that they didn't need to use their depth. Dhananjaya de Silva was not required with bat or ball, and Thisara Perera's batting went unused as well. Even Malik, who did actually bat, never saw it necessary to move out of third gear.

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