Anticlimactic draw at 73rd Battle of the Golds

Aaqib Reyal Head of Brands, Master Brand, Strategy Dialog Axiata PLC handing over the Trophy to the two captains Duranka Silva (left) of Sri Sumangala and Isuru Fernando of Moratu MV

The 73rd Battle of the Golds between traditional rivals Sri Sumangala, Panadura and Moratu MV concluded in an anticlimactic draw at the De Zoysa Stadium in Moratuwa.

Resuming from their overnight score of 87 for four, Moratu MV adopted ultra-defensive tactics that drained all excitement from the prestigious encounter. Their batsmen crawled to 217 for seven, facing a marathon 121 overs before bad light brought an early end to proceedings.

Sanjana Seneviratne led Moratu MV’s batting with a patient 66 while Sandun Suwaris remained unbeaten on 50. Sithum Silva contributed 31 and Isuru Nidarshana added 25 to the total. 

For Sri Sumangala, Bihanga Silva claimed two wickets for 22 runs while Sadew Senanayake picked up two wickets for 62 runs.

The match had promised more after the opening exchanges. In their first innings, Sri

Sumangala managed 144 with Rusith Jayawardena top scoring with 53. 

Support came from Sandeep Wijeratne (18), Bihanga Silva (16) and Duranka Silva (15). 

Moratu MV’s bowling attack was spearheaded by Isuru Nidarshana (3/25) and Sanjana Seneviratne (3/37) with Nishitha Fernando adding two wickets for 35 runs.

Moratu MV had initially struggled in their first innings, being dismissed for a paltry 87, which gave Sri Sumangala a golden opportunity to press for victory with their 57-run first innings lead. This encounter was powered by Dialog Axiata PLC, the leading connectivity provider in thecountry as part of their commitment to powering the champions of tomorrow.