Gladiators vs Giants, 16th Match at Colombo, LPL, Dec 14 2021 - Ball by Ball Commentary

length ball, slower one I think, wide of off. Karunaratne heaves this towards deep square leg, and they take a couple.

this is a short ball, wide of off stump. Karunaratne gets on the back foot and pulls it hard for a four in front of midwicket. Wonderful shot. But perhaps a futile one.

yorker on the stumps. And that's game. Batter tries to whip this to leg, but only digs it out into his own pads and they get a single

full and wide, and the new batter Jayathilake reaches out for it and carves it behind square on the offside for four. Giant's still technically in it.

another dot! This is a bouncer outside off stump, which Zadran swings and misses at, and it goes to the keeper. Or does he miss it? Gladiators think there could have been a nick and ask for the review. And there is a nick! Zadran has to go! Probably the Giants' last hope, that.

big swing and a miss. Excellent line from Udana. This was fullish, and way wide of off stump, right over the tram lines. BUt because the batter had shuffled to off, it isn't a wide.

this is an attempted wide yorker, but ends up being a wide low full toss. Zadran reaches for it, but hits it down towards long on only, and there's only a single there

superb from Zadran, and straight down the ground this time. This is slightly overpitched, outside off, and Zadran standing deep in the crease and blasts this back over the bowler's head, and way over the rope

Zadran gets a hold of this one though. This is short of a length on the stumps, on his thighs, basically. Zadran gets inside the line and whips this high over backward square leg for six.

bouncer, over the stumps, ducked by Zadran. Are Giants out of this now?

length ball, down legside, but flicks the pad on the way through, so no wide

Top edge, but manages to get this safe. This is length ball from Amir on the stumps. Zadran tries to hit it way over th legside but doesn't connect properly, and the top edge lands between deep square leg and fine leg

flatter, pushed through on off stump, bunted towards long on and he's weighted that nicely enough to have time to sprint a second

flatter outside off stump, cut in front of square on the off side for a single

two wickets in two balls for the league's top wicket taker. This time it's the big wicket of Liyanage, on whom Giants' hopes rested. This is swung over deep midwicket, but there's not a good connection, and the deep midwicket batter holds a good catch, about a foot in from the rope

holds and excellent catch this time though. This is a fullish ball outsdie off, hit over cover, but without a lot of power. Pulina Tharanga at deep cover sprints in and dives forward to hold a tough catch.

dropped! There was not much tough about this. Shanaka tries to reverse sweep, and hits it in the air to point who has to take a couple of steps back and hold it above his head. But he doesn't hold on.

yorker almost, but Liyanage's timing is outstanding this innings. He's down the track and although this is in the blockhole now, somehow whips the bat through helicopter style and generates enough power to send it whizzing past the bowler, and beats both long on and long off. Superb shot. That's his fifty too.

slower one gone wrong again, but this is marginal full toss, and oh my - Salt has hit it straight to deep backward square. Umpires are sending this upstairs. But the third umpire rules it a fair delivery, which I think is the right call. It was about upper thigh-height. Salt should have put that one over the rope, but only has himself to blame for picking out the fielder