The whole world is going through economic turmoil at the moment. Developed countries are the least affected but the developing and underdeveloped countries are where the effects of inflation are the most visible. One such country that is the most hit by the economic crisis is Sri Lanka. A shortage in basic-necessity-goods has people scrambling for things like petrol and grocery.
So in a time like this when Australia decided to tour Sri Lanka for a cricket series, it was seen as a great goodwill gesture. The Australia- Sri Lanka series brought in around $2.5 million worth of business to the crisis-hit country. The Australian team, in addition, also appealed for donations which were further instrumental in alleviation a significant amount of stress in the country.
Naturally, the people of Sri Lanka are pleased with Australia’s contribution and as a show of gratitude, chanted their name after the last ODI game. In a video that is being shared in vast numbers across social media, the Sri Lanka fans could be seen chanting, “Australia, Australia” while the Australian team does a lap of honour around the boundary lines.
A lap of honour by Australia after the ODI series ??
as the whole Colombo crowd were chanting 'Australia, Australia' as a thank you to the Aussies for touring ????#Cricket #Australia #SLvAUS #SriLanka #GlennMaxwell #AaronFinch #DavidWarner #PatCumminspic.twitter.com/bmtVSWqaeU
— CRICKETNMORE (@cricketnmore) June 24, 2022
“That was pretty extraordinary and I was just saying to the boys. That was one of the most special feelings being able to walk around the ground and have a foreign country all cheer for you. A lot of times when Australia tours we are generally the enemy and there’s not many Australian fans in the stands but to have the support and fans that are here at the moment is truly extraordinary. Everyone’s wearing yellow. They have got all the Australian flags all over the place. It’s extremely special and it’s credit to everyone that’s been able to get out here. It’s been such a tough time obviously for the locals and for them to come out and support us and hopefully, both teams can entertain them and they’ve had a really good time during the one-day series,” an ecstatic Glenn Maxwell said after the lap of honour.
It is a great example of cricket’s ability to bring social changes and every cricket fan around the world is stocked with this. Talking of the series so far, Australia won the three T20I series by 2-1 after winning the first two.
In the ODI series, however, the Sri Lanka team made a great comeback after losing the first and won three on the trot to seal an impressive series win. The last game, which saw this great display of gratitude from both sides, was won by Australia.
Both teams will now shift their focus onto the upcoming two-match Test series. The first Test match would commence from 3rd July to 7th July in Galle, while the second one is scheduled for July 8th on the same ground.
