'We have your coach'
06 March, 2018
It has been nearly three years since two of the greatest players in the history of Sri Lankan cricket -- Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene -- retired from international cricket, leaving a huge vacuum in the country's national team.
Sri Lanka has endured a tough time for the past three years, with their aim to recuperate seeming like an uphill task.
Sri Lankan cricket reached its peak when they won the ICC World Cup back in 1996 under Arjuna Ranatunga and subsequently, fans seem to have lost some of their enthusiasm when it comes to following the game on a regular basis
Things did start to turn around recently though as Sri Lankan supporters are regaining their pride as a strong cricketing nation under new coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
While a supermarket attendant, Abeywardebe Harsha, waited to buy a ticket for the opening game of the Nidahas Trophy between India and Sri Lanka today, he described how the passion for cricket in Sri Lanka changed over time.
“There was a period when cricket in Sri Lanka reached its peak and we [supporters] had the feeling that we won't be beaten by any side in the world. But things changed after the retirement of Sanga [Sangakkara] and Mahela. The defeat against Bangladesh [in March-April last year] on home soil was something we never expected. You know that's because you have our man Chandi [Chandika Hathurusingha] as your coach but now we have your coach,” Harsha said with a smile yesterday outside the R Premadasa Stadium ticket booth.
Meanwhile, another fan Balasingham Anton, a taxi-cab driver who waited outside the stadium just to get a glimpse of the Sri Lankan cricketers, said that he believes Sri Lanka will once again become the number one team in the world, that too within the next two to three years.
“You have to admit that we are in a transition period where our young players need some time to become experienced and start giving a tough fight to any team. The passion for cricket [in Sri Lanka] has never been as great as we see in India or even Bangladesh but we do love the game and it's not that far off when we will once again rule the cricketing world,” Anton said with great confidence.