Percy Abeysekera watching the cricket test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan
Galle, Sri Lanka:
Cricket-obsessed Percy Abeysekera has been a regular at Sri Lanka’s matches since their first game against England in 1982 – and not even the country’s worst economic crisis can stop him.
Forty years ago, the man known to all as “Uncle Percy” escorted British tennis player Chris Tavare on the court at P Sara Oval in Colombo while holding a Sri Lankan flag.
Now 85 years old, he has made regular appearances ever since, having been given permission by the Sri Lankan cricket authorities to accompany the team after each match, winning or losing, he still carries his flag.
And while a staunch supporter of his national team, he is known for the respect he treats the opposition – a far cry from the sleigh drive used by fans of some teams, and even their players.
Naturally, he was at Galle earlier this month when hundreds of protesters climbed the walls of the ancient fortress looking down at the ground during the Second Test Against Australia to demand the removal of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa .
The host country is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence, has no foreign exchange to pay for essentials including fuel and medicine, and has led to widespread shortages. .
Hours later, an angry mob in Colombo forced the president to leave his home, and a few days later he flew abroad before submitting his resignation.
Abeysekera said: “Our team’s record is better than that of politicians in Sri Lanka.
“No politician can match these cricketers,” he told AFP. “They’re not politicians, they’re lunatics.”
“I hate politics,” he added.
Abeysekera has twice been invited to join the Sri Lanka cricket board but both times turned down the position.
“There are three things I don’t like around the world, one is politics, one is cricket management and the third is birth control,” he said.
His grandsons were named Garfield after the West Indies’ Sobers, the first bowler to hit a six-six in a first-place match, and Sachinka to the great Indian hitter Sachin Tendulkar.
‘Honor the loser’
Cricket provided the people of Sri Lanka with a welcome distraction from their country’s matches, with a 3-2 win in a one-day streak against Australia followed by a 1-1 draw in the Test series. .
Pakistan is currently touring the Indian Ocean island, with the hosts looking to recover on Sunday from a defeat in the first Test in Galle.
Abeysekera has worked for 59 years for a cable company, and friends and family will accommodate him at various locations.
He took a bus from Colombo to Galle for the current series but had to walk to the stadium without a tuk-tuk available.
“Never have I seen such a crisis,” he said.
“I have seen world wars, I have seen tsunamis, I have seen LTTE attacks,” he added, referring to the Tamil Tigers who fought a separatist war for many years. decade.
“This is something else, but somehow I managed to get to the surface.”
As a young boy, Abeysekera watched Don Bradman compete at Colombo Oval in 1948, and almost half a century later saw Sri Lanka beat Australia at Lahore to win more than one World Cup. 50, one of the highlights of his life.
Abeysekera’s welcoming demeanor made him win the hearts of even his beloved team rivals.
Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe once gave him the man of the match award and he was hugged by Virat Kohli during India’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2015 and was even invited into the dressing room. away team’s outfit.
He said, quoting American sports journalist Grantland Rice: “Because when the top scorer marks your name, he doesn’t write that you win or lose, but how you play the game.”
“Play fair, cheer the winners and honor the losers.”
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
