Asia Cup loss and Sri Lanka’s new wave of toxic cricket fans

Last Sunday, cricket-crazy Sri Lankans were hoping to have a gala time coinciding with the Asia Cup Final. After Sri Lanka’s victory against the number 1-ranked ODI team – Pakistan, fans were justified to entertain high hopes about the team – if not a victory, at least a good fight. Unfortunately, all those expectations came crashing down when our batsmen were bundled out like a pack of cards for meagre 50 runs against the prodigious movement produced by Indian fast bowlers by exploiting the overcast conditions. This dismal effort by our cricketers resulted in a massive outpour of disenchantment from cricket lovers, and it became the prime talking point in the country.

This is not the first time the Sri Lankan batsmen have been dismissed for such a low score. In 2012, a star-studded batting line up, which was composed of top-quality batsmen in the calibre of Mahela, Sangakkara, Dilshan, and Mathews, was dismissed for just 43 runs – Sri Lanka’s lowest total in ODI matches – against Proteas in South Africa. In this year alone, our batsmen were bowled out for paltry scores of 73 and 76 against India and New Zealand respectively in the backyards of both opponents. Then how come the disheartening performance last Sunday generated a disproportionate and emotional backlash? The huge difference was this contest was held in front of a packed home crowd (some of whom who had bought tickets at Rs. 40,000) in an Asia Cup final for which there was a great deal of pre-publicity and hype. Also, the Sunday plans of the Islanders to enjoy a good time with partying and boozing went awry, as the game ended in less than two hours. Hence, it was no surprise to see people expressing their anger and frustration in a rather high-octane manner.

Be that as it may, people need to realise that cricket is only a game; however passionate they are about it. We all need to revisit the famous quote of the renowned cricket commentator, the Late Richie Benaud – “Titanic was a tragedy, but nothing on the cricket field can come remotely close.” It was quite disgusting to see some people directing allegations of match fixing without any evidence against the Sri Lankan players after the defeat. Indulging in character assassination of individuals who bring joy and happiness to the people of this land who undergo adversity and agony quite regularly is nothing but downright ungratefulness. The venomous, hate-filled disparagement that were conveyed, targeting the cricketers via social media is testament to the toxic nature of cricket fans in this country and the decay of our society in terms of values and attitudes. 

Subsequent to the crushing defeat, a debate is currently underway at the time of writing this column whether Dasun Shanaka should be removed from captaincy. Removing a captain who has led the team for the last two years just two weeks before the most significant tournament in international cricket defies any logic. Furthermore, if Shanaka is removed, who will replace him? The current ODI skipper took over leadership in 2021 when Sri Lanka’s performance in 50-over cricket had reached nadir. Since his takeover of captaincy, the team has beaten sides ranked higher than them such as Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. His captaincy success rate in ODIs is 58%, which is pretty impressive considering the woeful state our limited-over side was experiencing at the time he became captain. The batting all-rounder has also developed a culture of unity and togetherness within the team, and it has helped young players to flourish.

No doubt, Shanaka’s contribution to the team as an individual player has not been satisfactory in the recent past. However, in the absence of a credible successor, a change in the status quo just two weeks prior to the world cup is unwarranted.