Jalill ends lean run in great island run chase
Overseas all-rounder Minhaj Jalill finally found his league batting form as Portsmouth pulled off an impressive run chase on the Isle of Wight.
The Sri Lankan had been dismissed for scores of 0, 2, 0 and 18 on his first four Southern Premier League Division 1 outings.
But he top scored with 68 as Portsmouth - asked to chase a slightly rain-reduced target of 256 off 48 overs, after Ventnor had posted 260 - won by five wickets with 19 balls to spare at Steephill.
Portsmouth’s reply began badly when skipper Ben Duggan, playing against his former club, was out for a second-ball duck. And it was 21-2 when Zack Wells (2-20) claimed the scalp of James Mitchell (15).
Opener Jack Marston (55) and Jalill set about repairing the damage with a third-wicket partnership of 124.
There was still much work to be done at 161-4 with both of those batters back in the pavilion. But Daniel Wimble and Sujeeth Daini promptly produced a match-winning partnership of 83 for the fifth wicket.
The pair clubbed 60 off five overs - including 16 off the 40th, 13 off the 38th and 12 each off the 41st and 42nd - to relieve any run chase tension.
Though Wimble fell for a 43-ball 35, Daini ended unbeaten on a SPL best 57 off 30 balls with five fours and two sixes.
The second tier’s leading runscorer, Dineth Thimodya, had earlier taken his Division 1 tally to 446 at 74.73 with 87. The Sri Lankan shared an opening stand of 108 with Rob Snell (60) before the latter was bowled by Jalill.
Reuben McArdle took 3-44 as Ventnor amassed 260-9 from their 50 overs.