The March Madness of 2025 kicked off as usual with the Battle of the Brothers being played for the 62nd time for the coveted Blackham Wijewardene Trophy
After winning the toss, Thurstan College skipper Thanuga Palihawada had no hesitation in choosing to bowl first on the lush green surface prepared by the SSC groundsmen. However, raising everyone’s eyebrows, skipper Palihawada opted to start with spin from one end, and the experienced campaigner and Sri Lanka youth cap was handed the new ball to begin the innings.
With the experiment of spin not working as they wished, medium pacer Rachintha De Silva was brought into the attack. With conditions looking absolutely seamer-friendly, De Silva made an immediate impact by claiming the all-important wicket of Ruchith Rodrigo.
De Silva did not look back after the fall of the first wicket. He went on to claim six Isipathana wickets with his nifty inswingers, making the batters’ stay at the crease a real nightmare.
Lanky left-hander Chanul Dinoth was the only batter to show some resilience at the crease his patient knock of 40 off 142 deliveries took Isipathana College past the 200 runs mark.
With only a handful of minutes left in the day’s play, Isipathana College was bowled out for 203 runs. To see off the day’s proceedings, the Thurstan batters did not hesitate to go for their shots, showing real positivity and aggression towards the end of the day.
A couple of really exciting days of cricket are to be unfolded, Stay tuned with Sri Lanka’s No.1 Sports channel ThePapare to catch the live and exclusive action this Big Match season.
