Sri Lankan fans live and love the game

 By K.R. Nayar

Dubai. Sri Lankans in the UAE enjoy their cricket. Win or lose, they love to sing and dance and cheer for their team. Whenever the giant scoreboard displayed the words ‘Live the game, Love the game’ backed by drum beats, they danced waving their national flag.  

This story was published in The Telegraph, India 

The majority of the Sri Lankans here play the game regularly. They represent various teams in domestic cricket tournaments. In fact, one of the leading cricket academies in the UAE called Desert Cubs is run by Sri Lankans. Lanka Lions Cricket Club was once the strongest team in domestic cricket. The Sri Lankan national team is called the 'Lions' and they take great pride in that nickname for their team. Most Sri Lankan players mix freely with the Indians and Pakistanis here. Though they have been a strong team in the past, there was never any rivalry with their Asian neighbours. They address everyone as Machaa, slang for Buddy. Many of the Tamil-speaking Sri Lankans here would support the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League since they could cheer in the same language as the supporters from Chennai.  

Everything about Zampa is unpredictable

Spinner Adam Zampa’s deliveries are very unpredictable. His googlies are hard to read. In fact, everything about Zampa is a mystery, even his looks. He is 29 years old but still carries a boyish look. A journalist in the press box, while talking about his boyish look, quipped: “Sri Lankans should focus more on his deliveries than his looks.”  It was the wickets of Charith Aslanka and Avishka Fernando that put the breaks on Sri Lanka’s run flow. Incidentally, Zampa proved his mettle as a fine T20 bowler in the 2016-17 series against Sri Lanka. In that three-match series, though he bowled brilliantly in the first match of the series, Australia lost the match. He was then dropped for the second match. But Australia lost the second match too and the series. So Zampa was recalled for the third match and he bagged 3 for 25 and the Man of the Match award too to help Australia win the match. On Thursday, against Sri Lanka, he bagged the Man of the Match once again.

Australians want the invincible tag

Australian fans are very fond of speaking highly about their cricket team’s feats. Most Australian expatriates live in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Australians address their team as the 'Baggy Green' and are always looking to regain their invincible tag. An Australian fan at the stadium had worn a T-shirt with the words "The Invincibles". In 1948, when Australia toured England and won every match of that series, that feat earned them the nickname “The Invincibles”. Australian expatriates here do not play in UAE’s domestic cricket. However, Australia regularly interacts with their neighbouring country New Zealand. In fact, they have even formed an Australia New Zealand Association (ANZA).

Sri Lankans adore Asalanka

When Charith Asalanka hit a huge six off the first delivery from Glenn Maxwell, it was a dream shot that sailed over the boundary. A Sri Lankan fan was quick to WhatsApp: “Asalanka is a true Lankan, a Lion and a fighter.” In the previous match against Bangladesh, he had hit an unbeaten 80. Asalanka was stroking brilliantly against Australia when he got out for 35. Most Sri Lankan fans here are aware of almost all details about any of their players. Asalanka is a product of Sri Lanka’s schools cricket. He had won the School Cricketer of the Year in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, he received the award from another double winner of the same award, Roshan Mahanama. Incidentally, Mahanama is being talked about as the next head coach of the Sri Lankan team.