Gamble pays off handsomely for Dambulla

■DDS being quietly groomed for number 4 position in Tests ■Spots for National Super League 4-Day final virtually sealed

- BY SA'ADI THAWFEEQ

FOLLOWING the matches concluded on Sunday, former champions Dambulla and defending champions Galle have virtually booked their places in the final of the 4th National Super League (NSL) Tournament.

These two teams hold a 15-point lead over their nearest rivals Colombo, which is quite a big gap to fill considering the form displayed by Dambulla and Galle.

Following a break for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year, the final round of League matches commence on 20 April with Galle playing Colombo at Dambulla, and Dambulla taking on Jaffna at Pallekele.

Dambulla, who went to the top of the table with a stunning win against Kandy on Sunday, need only a few points in their match against Jaffna to ensure their passage to the final. For Colombo to have a chance of reaching the final, something drastic has to happen in their game against Galle. Galle has to lose badly for them to have any semblance of a chance.

It was a very tactical move by Dambulla Head Coach Thilina Kandamby that saw his team successfully chase down a tall target of 392 and beat Kandy.

"We wanted to bat the first 20 overs normal and take it from there. We had a good start-a 136-run stand between [Nishan] Madushka and [Ron] Chandraguptha. They were scoring at a healthy rate," said Kandamby.