Lasith Croospulle of Sri Lanka A smashed a rapid hundred against New Zealand A in the second unofficial ODI.
Croospulle smashes boundary-laden hundred
Having won the first “ODI” of the three-match series by 140 runs, Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige won the toss and opted to bat in the second, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota.
The hosts lost three wickets inside 13 overs, but by then they had raced to 105. Having opened the batting, Croospulle continued with the attack before falling in the 25th over. By then, Sri Lanka A had reached 195, of which he had smashed a 76-ball 103. A salient feature of his hundred was the number of boundaries – 13 fours, six sixes – which amounted to 88 runs (85 per cent of his score).
Arachchige (74 in 68 balls) and Sonal Dinusha (93 in 77) continued with the onslaught. Sri Lanka A finished with 368-9 in their 50 overs.
2nd unofficial ODI, Sri Lanka A vs New Zealand A
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Who is Lasith Croospulle?
While his List A numbers (2,346 runs at 24.18, strike rate 98) bear an ordinary look, Croospulle has the ability to score at a rapid rate, as his first-class strike rate of 91 suggests. Of his 69 T20s (he strikes at 134), 11 have been in the LPL and four for Durdanto Dhaka in the BPL.
His only international appearance came in the quarter-final of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Opening the batting, he hit a 12-ball 16 (14 of which came in boundaries) as Sri Lanka, chasing 117, were bowled out for 108: among his teammates, only Arachchige (leading on that occasion as well) scored more.
