BMS wins first red bull campus final.

All-rounder Ranitha Liyanarrachchi plucked BMS Colombo from a mid-innings funk and propelled them to an imposing 191 for 9, and then made the first dent in University of Liberal Arts’ chase, putting the Sri Lankan students on track for their first Red Bull Campus Cricket title in Galle.

Liyanarachchi’s 52 from 27 balls had come just as the ULAB’s spin bowlers appeared to be seizing control of the middle-overs, as they had done in the semi-final against the team from Pakistan. But Liyanarachchi struck up productive partnerships with the tail, scything boundaries through the late overs, to take BMS to a score that would prove 24 too many for the opposition.

Having also recently represented BMS in Rugby Sevens, in a tournament in Malaysia, Liyanarachchi said he was unfazed by a score line of 108 for 6 at his arrival, in the 14th over. BMS had lost three big wickets for 18 runs when he went to the crease.

“I didn’t try to think too much about the wickets that had fallen,” he said. “We were struggling but it was not just about BMS it was about the pride of Sri Lanka. Luckily I got a couple of fours away at the start of my innings, so that gave me the confidence to keep trying those expansive shots, and I have to thank my teammates who batted really well with me.”

ULAB’s cricketers were visibly upset at the finish, but can be proud of having made put together one of the most inspiring and unexpected campaigns in the tournament’s five-year history.

Captain Mohammad Hasanuzzaman showcased the panache that has made him a rising batting star in Bangladesh, clattering two sixes and two fours in his 39 at the top of the order. He and Avishek Mishra had put on an 88-run partnership for the second wicket, but the batting fell away quickly after that. Having already prevailed in tense finishes over sides from South Africa and Pakistan, a third underdog victory was beyond them. Left-arm spinner Ariful Rehman did finish the tournament’s highest wicket-taker however, claiming 13 scalps in all.

The ULAB side would go on to lose five wickets for 25 runs, in what would turn out to be a definitive portion of the chase. Offspinner Koshan Jayawickrama was especially effective, returning 4 for 27 from his four overs. Janith Liyanage delivered the 20th over, but with the match effectively settled, the Sri Lanka students had already begun to celebrate, and both the team, and a large group of supporters charged the field, just after the last ball was delivered.

Scores:

Business Management School (BMS), Colombo, 191-9 in 20 overs (Liyanarachchi 52 (27), Arifur Rehman 3-20)

University of Liberal Arts, Bangladesh (ULAB), 167-8 in 20 overs (Hasanuzzaman 39 (32), Jayawickrama 4 for 27)