Cricket as they say is a great unifier, and Australia’s recent tour of Sri Lanka is a fine example of the same. Sri Lanka has been undergoing a huge political turmoil in recent times. The country is facing shortage of basic amenities which includes daily supply of food, medical goods, fuel and gas to name a few. Australia was visiting Sri Lanka for a tour which includes, T20, ODI and 2 test matches. The fifth and final ODI was played at Colombo and there was something special which happened.
Sri Lankan fans wear yellow to say thanks to Australia –
Australia beat Sri Lanka by 4 wickets to win the final ODI and thus ended the ODI series which was won by Sri Lanka 3-2. This was the island nation’s first ever ODI series win against Australia in 3 decades. At the end of the game, the cameras panned to the ground and there were Sri Lankan fans who were dressed in Yellow. There were banners which had the flags of the two nations and read “Mates for life”. The Australian team was quick to acknowledge this move and gave a lap of thanks to the fans.
Hard to recall a visiting team getting a reception quite like the Aussies have today. Sensational stuff 🇱🇰 #SLvAUS pic.twitter.com/9fcn6AJ6Jj
— Louis Cameron (@LouisDBCameron) June 24, 2022
Maxwell reacts to the gesture –
Glenn Maxwell played a key role in the Australian win on Friday by picking the key wicket of Kusal Mendis in his 10 overs. Maxwell scored 16 with the bat and is also part of the test team which is to play 2 tests. Maxwell seemed moved by the gesture and the at the end of game had words of praise for the fans. The Australia said “ It was pretty extraordinary. I was just telling 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 is 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 really special and credit to everyone who has been able to get here, t's been tough obviously for the locals and for them to come out to support us and us hopefully entertain them, they have had a really good time during the one-day series”