Our correspondent takes in a safari, runs into VVS Laxman, and gets his fill of a certain ubiquitous politician
Alan Gardner12-Dec-2014November 25
The drive from Bandaranaike International Airport to my hotel in central Colombo is some 35km but the Katunayake Expressway and what seems, by subcontinental standards, a fairly relaxed flow of traffic make for a pleasant journey.First thing I notice at the Galle Face Hotel, in its 150th year and proclaimed as “the oldest east of the Suez”, is the scaffolding, with the front half of the place being renovated. I suppose you can expect to be spruced up for your sesquicentenary. Second thing is the picture of Don Bradman hanging in the bar alongside those of Duke Ellington, Laurence Olivier and David Lloyd George. Plenty of famous cricketers have stopped here. Plus Scarlett Johansson.Guests have a choice of six different types of pillow at the Galle Face, including “Hug”, “Classic” and “Micro Gel”.November 26
On the way to the R Premadasa Stadium for the first of seven ODIs, fat droplets of rain begin to splash down on our tuk tuk. My colleague Andrew Fidel Fernando informs me this is just drizzle, but it is enough to delay the start of the game for an hour. We get a full match and the real storm comes during England’s innings, when Moeen Ali drives, slashes and flicks his way to 119 from 87 balls, elegance and violence competing with each other and everyone watching the winner. England, however, still lose.November 27
Vale Phillip Hughes. The most sombre day I have experienced as a sports journalist. Little to say or do, beyond read the tributes that pour out of Australia. Wander over to the team hotel, where England are in a meeting. Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan and a few other Sri Lanka players sit quietly by the pool. Media for the day is cancelled. Cricket’s clocks have stopped.As the sun sets, head up beside Galle Face Green towards the Colombo Port City development, a $1.4bn project being carried out and funded by the Chinese. Cranes dot the horizon as land is reclaimed from the Indian Ocean. To the right, development plots for two other five-star hotels; there is a third to the south along Galle Road. Such opulence will likely be beyond the reach of most of the people on the green, where children play, couples stroll and street vendors sell snacks. A group of police cadets take part in some calisthenics. People come for the magnificent view of the sea, though heavy cloud cover drains some of the colour. Sounds like the word “selfie” has made it into Sinhala.Dinner in the upmarket Park Street Mews area. The monsoon makes an authentic appearance, with water sluicing down outside. We head on to a bar owned by Sanath Jayasuriya and listen to a covers band. Sri Lanka have their own Sanath tribute act in Kusal Perera.November 28
Pre-match at the Premadasa. Alastair Cook speaks thoughtfully and generously about Hughes, another bloke as happy on the farm as a cricket pitch. Around the world, people are putting out their bats. England do not get to use theirs, as another insistent downpour tests the drainage.Play squash against Fernando and we both almost expire due to the heat in a poorly ventilated court. Sample a few local delicacies as a well-earned reward, including some delicious devilled pork and hot butter cuttlefish. Then it’s on to a “street-level” vendor for , made from diced chicken, vegetables and roti bread. The preparation process, with large blades ringing down on a hot metal stove, is as memorable as the toothsome end product.
It also becomes clear why the cheap seats face west, as I begin to drip in the glare of the setting sun. Air-conditioned press boxes do have their place after all
November 29
More drizzle, this time the delay resulting in a loss of overs – even though the second match is a day game and theoretically has a bigger window to play in. Flags are at half-mast and a minute’s silence is observed beforehand. England win the toss again, lose again, this time by a hefty margin. As Kumar Sangakkara and Jayawardene knock off the runs required, children in the stands fashion paper airplanes from their 4/6 cards. Sri Lanka are on a different plane from the tourists.December 1
From Colombo, the touring caravan heads into Sri Lanka’s deep south. This involves a long drive down the Galle Road, then the Southern Expressway. In different parts of the world, you see warnings about animals crossing – deer in England, kangaroos in Australia. Here you have to look out for peacocks, and we are given a real-life lesson when one dashes out in front of us, forcing Thusith, our cameraman and driver, to slam the brakes. Sadly for the peacock, the minibus that was overtaking us didn’t react so swiftly.Hambantota district is the territory of Sri Lanka’s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and either he is extremely popular or he has paid to have multiple giant cardboard cutouts of himself erected in towns throughout the area. Possibly both. His benevolent, moustachioed smiling face beams down from billboards, buildings, lamp posts and trees. Elections will take place next month and if you believe the evidence of your eyes, then only one guy is winning.Talking of populist figures, when we arrive at our hotel, there is a sign in the lobby with just one name on it: “Andrew Fidel Fernando”.December 2
Take advantage of being out of the city by going on safari in Udawalawe National Park. Rising with the sun, we sit blearily in the back of a jeep until reaching the wildlife sanctuary, where there are plenty of eye-opening sights. Elephants, including a baby, buffalo, foxes, crocodiles, monitor lizards, butterflies, a variety of birds and a mongoose all go about their daily business, unperturbed by our presence. The sky is a pristine blue but in the afternoon, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa (remember him) International Cricket Stadium, the clouds return and a storm lashes the ground, drenching the outfield. Maybe a test for the ground staff the next day.December 3
Or maybe not. Hambantota is in the dry zone, so perhaps that’s why the pitch dried so quickly overnight. Still, it can get pretty wet, even by an Englishman’s standards, and another almighty downpour takes a big chunk out of the game. England win this rumble in the jungle and can enjoy their five-hour coach ride back to Colombo. Given the weather and the distance to the stadium from everywhere else, the modest crowd is not surprising. If ever there were an appropriate location for a white elephant…December 4
Back on the road, through the incredibly lush countryside, past king-coconut vendors and jackfruit trees, then winding along the coast, wind whipping up waves on the Indian Ocean, playing on the stereo. Rajapaksa is everywhere, sometimes pictured with other members of the government, such as Jayasuriya, who manages to combine being deputy sports minister, deputy minister for postal services, tourism ambassador, SLC’s chief selector, and bar owner. First sight of the opposition’s campaign, when a rally of supporters on motorbikes passes in the opposite direction along the Galle Road.December 5
The Premadasa, for England nets. Well, eventually the Premadasa, after being taken to Sugathadasa Stadium once again. It transpires that this nearby multipurpose facility is where three-wheeler drivers will head to if you ask to go to the “stadium”, even if that is prefaced with the word “cricket”. Reminds me of CNG rides to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury ground in Chittagong. No matter that cricket is the biggest sport in these parts, you’re often hard pressed to find a tuk tuk operator who knows how to get you there.Evening dinner for the travelling journalists hosted by the ECB, seemingly in the new spirit of openness. Chat to Paul Farbrace about Sri Lanka’s World T20 win and how the emotion of Jayawardene and Sangakkara retiring helped fuel their surge to victory. Might be a trick they look to repeat at the World Cup.December 6
Our tuk tuk driver says Rajapaksa’s time is coming to an end, with momentum seemingly growing behind the opposition candidate, Maithripala Sirisena. Turns out Colombo’s three-wheeler guys are seasoned political commentators.Head to a café, Commons Coffee, to write up, though need to plug in my laptop. There’s a free socket in a reserved area – surely they won’t mind if I pop it discreetly in the corner to charge? Moments later, in walks VVS Laxman and a business associate to take the table. “Is there someone already sitting here?” wonders VVS aloud. Errr… But he doesn’t mind, of course. What a gent.Famous guests of the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo•Alan Gardner/ESPNcricinfo LtdDecember 7
Belting hot day at the Premadasa, where James Taylor makes a significant impression on his first appearance of the tour. England’s score of 265 is not enough to deny Sri Lanka, however, to the delight of a packed stadium. During the chase, the noise rolls in off the stands and I head out to sample the atmosphere. End up having a go on a drum, and am asked to pose for a group photo; there are fist bumps and high fives too. It also becomes clear why the cheap seats face west, as I begin to drip in the glare of the setting sun. Air-conditioned press boxes do have their place after all.December 8
Into the hill country, along the winding road to Kandy. My driver overtakes at every opportunity and pulls in sharply as oncoming traffic nears. All very smooth, the Sri Lankan way. Just toot the horn to let people know you are there. Pass through Kajugama, a village whose main produce is cashew nuts and whose name translates as “cashew village”. Next is Weweldeniya, where they make objects woven out of cane (wewel). Told there is a village specialising in inflatables, too, though I’m not sure how that would translate into Sinhala.December 9
The ground in Pallekele, a few kilometres on from Kandy, is something special: a wide, green bowl with high grass banks, backdropped by hills reaching up to the clouds. Butterflies flutter by and the sun beats down – no sign of rain yet, despite fears beforehand that the Pallekele games might have to be moved to Colombo due to the state of the pitch. Hopefully the contest will live up to its epic setting, with England 3-1 down and struggling to stay in the series.On the journey back to the hotel in the evening, a burning car by the roadside disturbs the tranquillity, the result of a political rally. Most people seem annoyed that it has caused issues with the traffic. Later, when having a drink in a bar overlooking the city centre, peace has returned, electric lights twinkle on the hillside. This is Sangakkara country and apparently his father used to co-own the place where we are sitting.December 10
Catch a glimpse of the Australia-India Test in Adelaide on TV, before rain intervenes. All the talk was about the threat of Sri Lanka’s monsoon season when I arrived more than two weeks ago but we have not had to use a reserve day… until now. As soon as the Sri Lanka innings is complete, down comes the rain, which alternates between Mahela-touch light and a Buttler barrage for the next four hours. The game will have to wait. But the tour goes on.
