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The good fortune of the men’s team has comforted the country, with one fan calling the players “brand ambassadors at this difficult time. “
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by Mike Ives
Like a political crisis and an economic cave in devastated Sri Lanka, computer science student Aadhil Siddhique among the legions of other people who found relief in the undeniable pleasures of an ancient ritual: cricket.
When he’s not reading for exams or attending anti-government protests, Mr. Siddhique, 24, has taken the time in recent months to stick to his favorite game on TV and online, at least when no normal power cuts occurred. Also in the stands recently as enthusiastic crowds applauded the men’s national team in Colombo, the capital, and the southern city of Galle.
To his delight, the team has pulled off big wins, a resurgence he says began when it was at its lowest point about a year ago. In May, he scored a landslide victory over Bangladesh in a five-day test, one of three cricket formats. And this month, at home, the team bounced back from a loss to Australia, the top-ranked control team in the world.
This multi-day match, held in Galle, is symbolic for some other reason. That day, protesters surrounded the stadium as his compatriots in Colombo invaded the president’s home, forcing him to hide and eventually resign.
The team’s players are “the logo ambassadors at this difficult time,” Mr. Siddhique said by phone, 3 days before the team hosts Pakistan on Sunday for the timing of a two-test tour. “Every time Sri Lanka wins, we are motivated so that this fight against corrupt politicians can also be won. “
Cricket was brought to South Asia through the British colonial government that ruled the region. It’s still very popular today there, in part because it’s one of the few sports in which South Asian groups consistently excel globally, said Abhishek Mukherjee, a cricket who lives in the Indian city of Kolkata.
There is so much interest in the game that professional parties have gone through serious crises, which were added during much of the coronavirus pandemic and the decades-long civil war in Sri Lanka. When the country’s men’s cricket team was attacked in a commando-like ambush during a holiday to Pakistan in 2009, the disruption didn’t last long. The team hosted the Pakistani team at home a few months later.
“Even when something goes wrong, they will try to find joy and happiness in the game,” M. Mukherjee, referring to enthusiasts in a region that includes India, the home of a professional cricket league that is one of the largest. in the world. Valuable sports properties.
“And when I say sport,” he added, “it’s almost cricket. “
In Sri Lanka, an island country of nearly 22 million people, public reaction to men’s and women’s cricket matches in recent weeks has been exceptionally strong. That’s partly because other people saw the games as an escape from the hardships they faced, he said. Estelle Vasudevan, a Sri Lankan sports journalist who basically covers cricket.
“What was noticed was that even when Sri Lanka was losing, other people were partying in the stands,” said Vasudevan, a reporter for sports news site ThePapare. com.
An overthrown president. Sri Lanka plunged into a deep crisis when protesters, not easy because of the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, stormed his residence and forced him to flee the country. Here’s what you want to know:
Economic problems. Sri Lanka was once touted as a story of economic good fortune, with one of the highest middle incomes in South Asia. But the country now necessarily has cash shortages and many other people live on the edge, due to bad political decisions, reckless spending and economic mismanagement.
Growing discontent. Sri Lanka’s economic woes deepened in 2022, when the country began to run out of foreign exchange. As supplies of food, fuel and other materials dwindled, protesters began taking to the streets to call Mr. Rajapaksa and other members of his family. a hard political dynasty, he left the government.
A new prime minister. As the protests intensified, Mr. Rajapaksa began emptying his closet of members of the family circle. In May, his older brother was ousted from his post as prime minister and replaced by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who began talks with the International Monetary Fund on the terms of a deal. economic rescue.
The turning point. On 9 July, frustrated protesters stormed the president’s apartment in Colombo as Mr. Rajapaksa went into hiding. The speaker of parliament later said the president and prime minister had agreed to resign.
An interim president is appointed. On 13 July, Mr. Rajapaksa fled the country. With the nation’s direction uncertain, protesters surrounded the prime minister’s apartment in Colombo, where they were met with tear gas. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe appointed interim president, signaled a state of emergency and vowed to recover government buildings overrun by protesters. On July 20, Wickremesinghe elected president through parliament legislators.
Many Sri Lankans also saw professional cricketers aligned with their efforts to oust President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his tough circle of relatives from politics. (Rajapaksa resigned last week, a day after fleeing the country. On Wednesday, lawmakers chose one of their allies, Ranil Wickremesinghe, to update it. )
Former high-level cricketers, as well as Hall of Famer Kumar Sangakkara, have spoken out in favor of the move on social media in recent months. The two captains of the existing men’s team attended the protests, with one of them pledging victory over Bangladesh to those who remained in the country.
“We went through a difficult time there,” Capt. Dimuth Karunarathna wrote on Twitter in May, referring to power cuts and other disruptions. “This victory brings joy to their faces. “
Cricket appeared indirectly in the protests. Protesters talk about the game and exchange match scores, Mr. When some of them broke into M. Rajapaksa’s apartment this month, some stopped to watch cricket on their TV.
But the game is also feeling the strain of the crisis that has led to shortages of essentials like food and fuel. Some matches in Sri Lanka’s national cricket league were disrupted because groups simply cannot travel during curfews, for example. And a member of the men’s national league team, Chamika Karunaratne, told a reporter last week that she missed out on education because she queued up to refuel.
The question now is whether the parties themselves will have to prevent completely, as a coronavirus outbreak was done for several months two years ago. Some critics have argued that it makes no sense to run stadium projectors at a time when electric power is so scarce. .
Sanjeewa Kumara, who lives in Saudi Arabia and helps run a club for Sri Lankan cricket fans, said the other people who manage the game there “work a little bit harder” to bring cricket to the country as it would boost morale and help. the economy that suffers. .
“The enthusiasm to watch and enjoy cricket has never waned among Sri Lankan cricket fans, even in such a stressful and chaotic setting in the country,” said Mr Kumara.
For now, the men’s national team’s upcoming matches against Pakistan have been transferred to Galle from Colombo, amid fears of civil unrest. The Lanka Premier League, a series of matches in the T20 cricket format that was due to be held in August, has been postponed indefinitely.
There are also many hypotheses that Sri Lanka will not host the Asian Cup for this year’s T20 as planned. The International Cricket Council referred questions to the Asian Cricket Council, which is the event. The A. C. C. no responded to a request for comment. Neither does Sri Lanka’s official cricket governing body.
Vasudevan said he assessed the chances of Sri Lanka not hosting the Asian Cup by 90 percent. “It’s not possible to host nine groups, even if they wanted to,” he said.
Cricket fan Mr Siddhique said that no matter who hosts the tournament, Sri Lankans hope his team can earn the name by beating tough rival India.
Protests opposing Sri Lanka’s new government will inevitably continue, he added, and some other major victory in cricket would likely dampen the national mood at this time of unrest.
“Of course, for me, it will be a massive, massive inspiration,” he said.
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