Sri Lanka's worst-ever economic crisis has affected people from all walks of life; 26-year-old cricketer Chamika Karunaratne lamented on Saturday that due to the massive fuel crisis, he is unable to attend his practice sessions.
"Asia Cup is coming and Lanka Premier League (LPL) is also scheduled this year. I do not know what will happen because I have to go to Colombo and different places for the practices and to attend club season. I've got fuel and [in two days will get] ten thousand rupees. This will run for two to three days only,” Karunaratne shared in an exclusive interview with Indian news agency ANI.
Sri Lanka will be hosting the 15th edition of the Asia Cup cricket tournament in August and September.
While Karunaratne is confident that he and the rest of the Sri Lankan team are ready for Asia Cup 2022, he is worried about his nation's ongoing turmoil.
Addressing the cricket tournament, Karunaratne said: "We are ready for the Asia Cup and I think for the big event, the country will provide enough fuel. We are playing with Australia and the matches were nice. Even for the Asia Cup preparation is underway."
However, regarding the ongoing economic crisis in the country, the young cricketer said that he wasn't able to say much, but things aren't going well now.
“I hope that when the right people come, something good will happen. People have to choose the right person…so we can take the international support and things will definitely come to the right place," Karunaratne stated.
Sri Lanka had recently hosted Australia for a multi-format series. The series was highly competitive and both sides performed well. Australia won the T20I series 2-1, while the ODI series was won by Sri Lanka 3-2; the Warne-Murli Trophy in Tests was shared after the two-match series ended in a 1-1 draw.
The country's worst-ever economic crisis was triggered by poor governance and the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown. As a result, the island nation of 22 million people has been facing a severe shortage of food and fuel, as foreign exchange was exhausted to support purchases.
The crisis has also triggered a massive protest in the country and a state of emergency has been announced, as thousands of demonstrators congregated at Galle Face Green, a park at the heart of Colombo, and started marching toward the prime minister's office, located at Flower Road, barely 20 minutes away.
President Gotabaya Rajapakse has resigned from his post and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been appointed interim president. The political parties of the country will choose the next president on July 20.
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