The 2nd edition of the Battle of Dreams got underway at the iconic Galle international cricket stadium today (6th March).
Hosts St. Aloysius’ College won the toss and opted to bowl first on what was expected to be a batting paradise. Holy Cross, batting first, got off to a disastrous start, losing their first three wickets before breaching the 30-run mark.
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Experienced Rusith Jayawardene, who has been the mainstay of the Crusaders’ batting throughout the season, lost his wicket when he was well poised to go on and make a huge contribution for the visitors.
Fresher Vihanga Oshada, the standout batter for Holy Cross, went on to become the first half-centurion in the Battle of Dreams history. However, just after reaching his milestone, Oshada lost his wicket to the star of the day, Chanuka Sadew.
Sadew was the main architect of Holy Cross’ downfall, finishing with impressive figures of 5 for 35. Hiviru Nimtharana also made a valuable contribution with the ball, grabbing four important wickets with his right-arm medium pace.
The hosts, in reply, were off to a flying start as openers Sasindu Randeepa and Vinod Danushka made quickfire 30-odd runs each with strike rates in excess of 75. However, the visitors managed to crawl back into the game by taking four wickets before the end of the day’s play. Rusith Jayawardene grabbed three of those four wickets, giving the visitors plenty of hope heading into day two.
Brief Scores:
Holy Cross College 125 (63.5) Vihanga Oshada 50, Rusith Jayawardene 23, Chanuka Sadew 5/35, Hiviru Nimtharana 4/30
St. Aloysius’ 102/4 (24) Sasindu Randeepa 34, Vinod Danushka 32, Rusith Jayawardene 3/22
Stumps – Day 1
The match will continue tomorrow (7th March) for Day 2. Spectators can catch all the action LIVE on ThePapare 2 HD (Dialog TV Channel 127), ThePapare.com and the Dialog Play app.
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