A group of Sri Lankan fans protested against their team’s inept performance in the first One-Day International against India in Dambulla on Sunday by holding up the team bus and shouting slogans after the match was over, according to various reports.
According to ESPNCricinfo and Cricbuzz, a group of 50 fans gathered around the bus after the match was over and shouted slogans like “We want our cricket back”, “Bring back brand of cricket played in 1996”.
This delayed the Sri Lankan team’s exit from the venue by half-an-hour after which police stepped in and dispersed the crowd.
According to Wisden India, the crowd also chanted the name of Sri Lanka Cricket boss Thilanga Sumathipala during the protest.
Cricket in the island nation is going through tough times with the team losing to South Africa and Australia away along with unexpected losses against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at home. India whitewashed Sri Lanka 3-0 in the Test series.
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