The Lanka Premier League 2024 final saw Jaffna Kings surge to their fourth title in five seasons, but not before a funny moment on the field in Colombo on Sunday (July 21). A stray dog invaded the ground and caused proceedings to come to a halt, and it was the buggy cam which eventually saved the day in a hilarious sequence of events. (More Cricket News)
After winning the toss and opting to field first, Jaffna Kings struck early in the powerplay as Jason Behrendorff dislodged both the Galle Marvels openers - captain Niroshan Dickwella and Alex Hales - inside the first four overs. Struggling at 21 for two at the end of six overs, the Marvels needed a strong stand from new batters Tim Seifert and Janith Liyanage.
Asitha Fernando walked towards his run-up mark for the seventh over when a furry intruder trespassed into the field of play. Fernando tried to shoo the dog away but it was unwilling to budge.
A buggy cam then stepped in and chased the canine before a couple of groundsmen tried to take him away. Distracted by the cam, the dog stepped off the field once but returned soon to cause an extended pause in play. Subsequently, one of the ground staff managed to calm the dog down and carried him off the ground as the cricket finally resumed.
The crowd thoroughly enjoyed the wholesome break in play and welcomed it with big cheers, while the video of the incident later had social media entirely amused. You can watch the funny video below.
As for the match itself, Galle Marvels recovered from the early setback to post a competent total of 184 runs in 20 overs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa as the aggressor-in-chief, smashing 82 runs off just 34 balls to propel their scoring rate beyond nine an over.
But the Jaffna Kings batters were in a murderous mood of their own. Despite the first-ball dismissal of Pathum Nissanka, Rilee Rossouw (106 not out off 53 balls) and Kusal Mendis (72 not out off 40) bludgeoned the Marvels attack into submission. Rossouw's superb undefeated century and Mendis' supporting act helped the Kings lift the LPL trophy one more time.
