On a pitch near the beach in Negombo we spotted some boys playing an impromptu match of cricket – a very common sight in Sri Lanka. No doubt they, and indeed most of the country, would be in front of a television that night, for it was the night of the Twenty 20 World Cup cricket final, and Sri Lanka was playing!
A friend kindly invited us to watch the match with his mates at a bar in Cinnamon Hills. Not only was it the T20 World Cup final but it was also the retiring match for two important Sri Lankan players who were set to retire – Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.
We got to the bar, said our hellos and ordered a beer – mistake! Several revellers were quick to let us know that this was not a night for beer, but hard liquor. Oh dear. We had a 6.45am start the next day and had planned to take it slow. No chance. We promptly moved to bourbon to avoid any further admonishment from our new local friends. Shortly thereafter we were offered something called a Flaming Tower and the ‘taking it easy’ plan was shelved.
Having heard of Twenty 20 Cricket before, it wasn’t completely unfamiliar, although neither of us had actually watched any matches of the game that is known as the more exciting cousin to one-day and test cricket. Luckily the rules are similar and it was easy to follow.
Not many Sri Lankans we spoke to had especially high hopes of beating the favourites India, but, as it turned out the end result went to Sri Lanka! Cue much excitement, champagne and revelry.
Excuse the low quality iPhone snaps.
We dragged ourselves away around midnight, and jumped in a tuk back to our hotel. What should have been a short trip took forever as the street were clogged with crowds celebrating. There was much shouting, singing, waving of flags, hanging out of cars and beeping horns.
Here is a little video to give you an idea of the jubilant mood.
jamoandjen 