From Dhaka to Lanka, what a feeling it was!
Just like that fairytale ’96 World Cup, this promises to be a story that will be retold, over and over again. As the last ball hurtled
Reaching out: Mahela Jayewardene steps to the edge of the stage to greet a throng of adoring fans at Galle Face.
through the air and the resounding thunk of it hitting the willow reverberated through the Sher-e Bangla stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh for the final time that night, here in Sri Lanka, a nation that had hardly dared to breathe for most of the match erupted with shouts of sheer joy. A new script was writ; not just of a great team effort that saw our boys sail through to the finals and to victory, but of the resonant cheer of a nation of faithful cricket fans who lived and breathed cricket and fervently rooted for their team.
This T20 World Cup was a roller coaster ride of emotions from the start. There was something in the wind in Bangladesh that hummed a
All a part of it: Factory workers cheer at Katunayake (above) and the vehicles that were part of the victory parade. Pix by Amila Prabodha
Sri Lankan victory ever since the team landed on its shores back in January, we’re told by the Sri Lankan community over there. We cheered loudly with the boys as they defeated South Africa in yet another nail-biter, roared in delight as we crushed the Netherlands, and stood muted as Englishman Alex Hales took the game away, only to revel again when Rangana Herath spun his magic web around New Zealand. But any Sri Lankan will tell you that this tournament was never so much about the technicalities as it was about the spirit of the game. It was as much about shaking off that paralysing ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’ tag as it was about beating
the odds, and equally about giving a heroes’ send-off to two of the country’s most beloved cricketing legends. As we settled into our seats for the nerve-wracking final against arch rivals India, the foremost thoughts were perhaps for Mahela Jayewardene and Kumar Sangakkara who deserved to win that night as much as Sri Lanka did. Having to relive the agonies of the 2011 World Cup defeat to India would have been just too much was the thought unsaid.
The celebrations then were absolute, utterly delightful mayhem. Some were careful not to over-throne the magnitude of the 96’ victory in the flood of emotions, but for many others it was simply about being there to witness their team lift another World Cup after heart-breaking defeats in four major finals. The streets of the country resounded with the jubilant cheers of a nation overjoyed-in Colombo, Galle Road transformed into one massive street party, and people who had watched in their homes, clubs, sports grounds, hotels and streets took to the Galle Face for the festivities.
United in jubilation: The young and not so young on the streets to greet their heroes
Usually reserved Sri Lankans suddenly found themselves out on the street, waving the flag and shaking hands and hugging anyone and everyone who passed them by. Lahiru Elvitigala was almost overrun by an errant tuk tuk that did a sharp U-turn so the driver could come back and high five-him when he took to the streets of Colombo following the match. “That’s how excited everyone was,” he grins. “I was four years old when we won the ‘96 World Cup and I distinctly remember my father and his friends watching the match and chanting Aravinda De Silva’s name in tremendous happiness at the end of that game. 18 years later, I guess we did my father and his friends proud as my friends and I started chanting ‘Sanga’ at the latter part of our innings, watching at Taj and that moment when Thisara hit that winning six honestly cannot be described in words. I’ll never forget the mayhem that was Galle Road that night as random three-wheelers, motorcyclists and even jeeps slowed down to high five my friends and I. We finally broke a jinx that’s held us for 18 years.”
Natalie Ray has seen it all before but that didn’t make this victory any less sweet. “I remember 18 years ago,” she says. “I remember seeing the celebrations on the street at 4 a.m., and I remember the feeling of exhilaration. It’s always great for any country to win at an 
international event – but for us, it’s just that tad bit extra special. Our team deserved this win for the way they played their hearts out and followed through, and we as a people deserve it for being the resilient spirits that we are.”
In Bangladesh, where the action was, celebrations were no less exuberant. “I couldn’t make it to Dhaka for the finals, but it was an incomparable feeling to be able to get out on the streets close to midnight wearing our Sri Lanka shirts, waving the Lion flag and waking up a whole neighbourhood in Chittagong as we screamed ‘Sri Lankawata Jayawewa’ from the bottom of our lungs,” says Kasun Samarawickrama, a medical student in Chittagong. His colleague Chathu Kaluarachchi adds that their neighbours probably didn’t mind, for the Sri Lankan team had captured their hearts. “It’s an amazing feeling you get when you are in a shopping complex and at least one person in every single shop you enter, having understood you’re a Sri Lankan, goes ‘Sri Lanka jayi’ and the few who speak English say how happy they are, and that our team is awesome-there really are no words to describe it.”
The high spirits were all over Sri Lanka. Chamal Mediwake has never known Kandy to be as alive as it was the night of the finals. “It was just like one big party,” he says, as people gathered in front of the giant screens, sitting on the pavements and the sides of the roads, waving flags, blowing whistles and talking to strangers in different languages-“but we all had one thing to say and that was ‘come on Sri Lanka!’” In Jaffna people gathered to watch the match at the Duraiappa stadium. “It used to be the crack of gun shots and bombs we heard,” says an ardent fan Akarshan Akiy. “This time it was crackers going off everywhere after the match!” In Akkaraipattu the match was immediately followed by bike parades around town and the jubilant shouts of fans making their way to each other’s homes to celebrate, Hakkani Majeed told the Sunday Times.
When the team made their triumphant return to Sri Lanka on Tuesday, it was a revelation to see the thousands that turned up that evening to greet them, lining the roads to wave and cheer as the team bus made its slow progress from the Katunayake airport to Colombo stopping en-route at Temple Trees for a brief meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The fans waited patiently, most braved the rain, some donned party gear and rented out sound systems to keep the party going.
For the younger generation, who had been tiny tots or not even born in 1996, it was their moment to go crazy. Anisha Niyas, who was only six when the ’96 World Cup was brought home by the team remembers her parents telling her how it united the country during a time of great upheaval. “I feel as if our T20 World Cup win did the same for the country because our cricket team is a perfect reflection of unity,” she smiles. “The celebration right after the win and the welcome given to the team was amazing. The atmosphere of people waving the flag and chanting ‘Sri Lanka’ in unison was electric because in that moment in time, it didn’t matter who we were and what we believed, people united as one and celebrated together.”
At the end of the match, it was Kumar Sangakkara who gave voice to this same sentiment as Mahela and the team stood by, too overcome with emotion to speak. “It’s not about me or Mahela or any single person, it’s about everyone who stands with you, or behind you. I’m thankful for all the Sri Lankan fans because without them, to have won this tournament – it would have been impossible.” It may be just a week from the day but the tale of the 2014 T20 World Cup, and more importantly that of the 20 million Sri Lankans who celebrated as one looks set to dominate conversation for some time to come.
At least until 2015, that is.
Additional reporting by Tharooshie Mahahewage, Ara Rasool and Raneesha de Silva