Sri Lanka fans in high spirits at the Oval

London: On Monday I was treated to a nice long walk with some Sri Lankan fans from the Vauxhall underground station to the Oval ground ahead of their crucial match with Australia here. They sang songs in praise of their team and some carried large posters of Kumar Sangakkara, while many of them also wore one of the famed Lasith Malinga wigs.

A few kept chanting ‘Sri Lanka Jayawewa’. As the chant started getting louder, I wanted to know what it was all about, and a Sri Lankan scribe said it was equivalent to India/Pakistan’s ‘Zindabad’.

Sri Lanka and Australia are known for their intense rivalry. From Sri Lanka’s star bowler Muttiah Muralitharan being accused of being a chucker and humiliated in Australia, there have been many instances where players from the teams have clashed.

Australians have always held the upper hand through their sledging, so it was interesting to hear a few such instances being recounted by a Sri Lankan fan while waiting to get into the ground.

It seems Ian Healy, frustrated with the portly Arjuna Ranatunga’s batting, once told a bowler loudly: “Put a Mars bar at a good length and maybe then he might get out.” Healy, who as wicketkeeper could clearly be heard through the stump microphone, once even told Ranatunga, who had asked for a runner: “You will not get a runner for being overweight.”

Sri Lankans, who love their drinks, queued up at a stant near the ground entrance. “We drink wine for Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene,” said a fan. “And, like wine, both these batsmen seem to be getting better with age.”

A few Tamil supporters were seen distributing pamphlets at the Oval gates, calling for the boycott of Sri Lanka by international cricket teams. An angry Sri Lankan fan was heard responding: “Please stop your nonsense and come in and enjoy the game.”

At the pre-match press conference, English journalists seemed more interested in knowing Australia skipper Michael Clarke’s reaction on the likely return of Kevin Pietersen from injury and its impact on the Ashes series. Irritated with the questions, Clarke responded: “Is Pietersen playing for Sri Lanka? My focus now is on Sri Lanka and I will talk about Pietersen when we play him.”