4:43pm The Gladiators finally produced a batting effort they would be proud of. Dabare and Mendis set the tone at the start. Azam and Iftikhar struggled in the middle overs but Udara ensured that the momentum was never lost. Towards the end, he found an able ally in Nuwanidu, and that partnership ensured that they now have an above-par total on the board.

The Stars, meanwhile, would be ruing their inability to control the middle overs. Their spinners were good but were perhaps not as impactful as they would have hoped. The Stars' death bowling also left plenty to be desired as Nuwanidu and Udara made merry. The game is not out of their grasp yet, although this will be a steep run-chase on a pitch that has spun sharply. Do join us in a bit for the run-chase!

Jeffrey Vandersay: I praise the lord for my performance. I wanted to do my best for the team. I tried to pull things back. The wicket was supporting the spinners and thankfully, it worked in my way. That was a very satisfying wicket (on Iftikhar dismissal). To get the drift and the spin, it was very nice. (On the score) They actually played quite well and we could have done things differently. We have a total on the board, and we have to chase it down. We back the boys and hopefully we can chase it.

Right. Udara back on strike. Can he finish with a boundary?