A stellar second session from the spinners triggered a middle order collapse to hand Thurstan Day 1 trumps at the 63rd Battle of the Brothers played at the SSC. (3rd April 2026)
After winning the toss and being put in to bat on a green deck, the Isipathana opening pair made Thurstan toil as their seam bowlers struggled to settle into a rhythm. They nearly had a perfect session until a rush of blood saw Tharun Perera hole out for a well-made 43 off what would become the last ball before lunch, with the score on 71.
Isipathana started with good intent after the resumption, with Kavindu Dewshan adding some quick boundaries however he was trapped in front by Nithish Kamalasooriya just four overs into the session. Skipper Maleesha Sandaruwan joined Navindu Umeth to stabilise and take the score up to 105 by the 40th over.
However, the Pathana innings soon imploded as the Thurstanite spinners spun a web around them during a horror 21 over spell where they lost their last eight wickets for just 54 runs. Wickets were shared amongst the spinners with Sethru Fernando and Thanuga Palihawadana picking up 3 scalps a piece.
In reply, Thurstan got off to a flier through Kamalasooriya. However his untimely run out in just the second over, followed by Akhen De Alwis’ early departure just an over later kept Isipathana interested. Yohan Senanayake and Hirushan Dias survived a tricky period and prevented any further damage, taking the score to 39 by the close.
Trailing by 120 runs with plenty of batting left and time on their side, Thurstan College will certainly be the happier brother when day two begins as they chase a sizable 1st innings lead. However, Pathan’s spinners will look to take a leaf out of their opponents’ book as they continue their hunt for quick wickets.
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