Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s World Cup-winning cricket captain, and fellow ex-skipper Sanath Jayasuriya have joined public protests calling for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign over the country’s economic difficulties.
In the Indian Ocean island nation, cricket is a popular sport, and the two urged other former players to back efforts to depose President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The island nation is experiencing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948, with chronic shortages of critical products and recurrent blackouts wreaking havoc on residents.
“Cricket is driven by spectators,” Ranatunga remarked outside Rajapaksa’s office in Colombo on Friday, surrounded by activists who have been demanding the president’s removal on a daily basis since last week.
“Today, our fans are taking to the streets because they can no longer tolerate the difficulties. We have to be there for our fans when they need us the most. Prominent athletes must physically participate in the protests.”
Sanath Jayasuriya, also known as “Master Blaster,” climbed the barriers in front of Rajapaksa’s colonial-era office and vowed solidarity hours later.
He told the tens of thousands of protesters, “Your message is loud and clear.”
“I’m hoping the government will pay attention and help us all have a better future.”
“Gota go home, go home Gota,” the crowds chanted.
Although the two are the first former captains to attend the protests in person, other celebrities have previously shown their support.
Former captain Mahela Jayawardena has publicly welcomed the protests and urged Rajapaksa to resign, but ex-captain Kumar Sangakkara has been more circumspect.
Roshan Mahanama, a former Test player and International Cricket Council match referee who has been a vocal supporter of the anti-Rajapaksa campaign since its start, compared Sri Lanka’s position to that of Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe.
“I saw the economic problems people endured in Zimbabwe many years ago when I used to go there,” Mahanama told an International news agency.
“To buy diesel, my driver had to wait in line for hours. This is something I never imagined would happen in my nation. However, we are in the same boat today.”
