Bisthamin still in a critical condition

By Jatila KARAWITA

Crack Kandy SC number night Imran Bisthamin who suffered a career threatening head injury last Saturday (Nov. 22) in Kandy is still struggling to regain his consciousness following his crash from a high-storeyed building, according to former Sri Lanka and Kandy SC rugby captain Sanjeewa Jayasinghe.

Jayasinghe when contacted by ‘Sunday Observer’, said that doctors were constantly monitoring the condition of the outstanding third-row forward with no serious damage being done to his spine after the fall.

Jayasinghe who had visited the former St. Anthony’s College rugby skipper at the Kandy General Hospital since his accident noted that doctors had declared it was too early to comment on whether any damage had been caused to the player’s brains and that an initial surgery performed on the number eight’s head had been successful.

The ex-Sri Lanka, Kandy SC and Havelocks SC winger stated that by and by the dynamic loose forward should recover from his injury which he termed as ‘terrible’ the void he could create from a perspective of Sri Lanka rugby if he unable to stride onto a rugby field in future as a result of his accident.

Several past Sri Lanka rugby players earlier this week expressed their utter shock and disbelief at the injury suffered by Imran Bisthamin noting that if the gifted back-row forward were to end his blossoming rugby career at this stage it would leave a huge vacuum in the sphere of Sri Lanka rugby.

Imran Bisthamin burst onto the domestic rugby circuit as a precocious talent for his alma-mater (SACK) initially excelling as a three-quarter before deciding on becoming a forward on the advice of his then school coach and well-known referee Priyantha Gunarathne.

Since becoming a utility forward the athletic youngster was yet to look back making an instant impact for both club and country, when fate cruelly intervened to curtail his impressive sporting career.

Bisthamin led his school first XV rugby team in 2004 before being entrusted with the reins of the Central Province Schools team whereby he caught the attention of Kandy SC the club that he was to first represent in 2005.

For the last three seasons he was instrumental in playing a key role in the forward pack of Kandy SC as the Nittawela based club retained the major domestic club titles with a clean slate.