Running on empty, Sri Lanka open arms to Australian touring squad

“The other thing is that we are sending a strong message to the world that Sri Lanka is safe. Millions of people will watch the television broadcast during the matches.

Australian apprehension was also allayed by the fact that their visit was not just about filling cricket’s coffers, with Sri Lanka Cricket announcing last week that it would donate $3.5 million to hospitals for help them acquire essential drugs.

Australia is in the country three weeks after a day of violence in which nine people were killed and dozens of MPs’ homes were burned down in retaliation for an attack on anti-government protesters by ruling family loyalists Rajapaksa.

Police also fired tear gas and water cannons at protesters marching towards the official residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last weekend, demanding his resignation. The unrest factored into pre-tour discussions with Cricket Australia, as did the fuel shortage in Sri Lanka.

De Silva said there had been an effort to change the schedule, moving Test matches ahead of the two sets of white balls, so floodlights at venues would not have to be on for matches as soon as next Tuesday, when the first T20 takes place at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

“Due to the fuel issue, we had a discussion with Cricket Australia and were trying to persuade them to start with the two Tests as the two Test matches do not require it. [lights],” he said.

“But unfortunately… Australia have three teams, as you know, and they had already started preparations for white ball cricket. We didn’t want to push too hard because the Aussies have been very generous in their thinking. .

The result is that the three T20s and five ODIs played over the next three weeks will still be night and day-night matches respectively, with cricket grounds lit up for three or four hours each evening as many people line up behind driving at night at gas stations.

Lighting for games will not draw from the under-constrained power grid, however, according to De Silva. Instead, generators from the state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board were hired, he said. While they run on fuel that could be used elsewhere, there would be a financial hit on TV rights fees if night matches were changed to daytime and not shown in prime time in India.

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Even amid the turmoil, Australia’s 10 matches in Sri Lanka are highly anticipated, simply because the country has hardly hosted international cricket with crowds since the pandemic began.

De Silva also believes the tour has value amid the current turmoil in that it can enable a population under extreme pressure to “take their minds off all the hardships they face”, even momentarily.

It’s a desire shared by Australian Limits captain Aaron Finch, who hopes “we can bring joy and fun to Sri Lanka”.

“It’s the first time we’ve been here since 2016, which is a long gap between tours, and it’s such a special place to visit, the hospitality you get here,” Finch said Friday. “The kindness of everyone, their love of the game is incredible.”

No longer confined to their hotels and cricket grounds due to the virus, Australians are also hoping to lift their spirits with several appearances organized by the Australian High Commission in Colombo.

“I remember on the last tour here in Kandy, we had an amazing experience with underprivileged kids,” Finch said. “And it’s something you live with forever. So hopefully we can get back to it as soon as possible and we can have a really positive impact here.

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