Lankan cricketers arrive on Thursday

Chris DHAMBARAGE

CRICKET: The Sri Lankan cricket team will arrive in the island on Thursday following their fruitful campaign in the ninth edition of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup tournament in the Caribbean.

Mahela Jayawardena’s team which emerged runners-up in this tournament are expected to touch down at the Bandaranaike International Airport on flight EK 348 via Dubai at 9.15 a.m.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has already organised a grand welcome ceremony for the Sri Lankan team on their arrival from the West Indies after a highly successful World Cup tournament.

Sri Lanka lost to Australia on the Duckworth Lewis scoring method in the final played in Barbados on Saturday but earned a runners-up cheque of US dollars 1,000,000.

The team will be welcomed at the Bandaranaike International Airport by cricket board officials and VIPs, which also includes several government ministers. The team will be then escorted on a motorcade from the airport to Independence Square where the players will be felicitated at the main ceremony.

Samantha Algama, the team media manager, said the players will be garlanded on their arrival by Duleep Mendis, the chief executive of SLC.

“We are requesting all cricket and sports fans to line the streets from the airport to Independence Square to greet our cricketers,” said Algama.

The Sri Lanka Police and the Sri Lanka Army Bands will be in attendance at the main ceremony where cricket fans will be able to get a closer look at their heroes.

The entertainment will be provided by the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation with the proceedings also displayed on giant screens located around the area.

In addition cricket enthusiasts will be presented with the Sri Lanka cricket team poster which will be distributed free through the courtesy of SLC.

Meanwhile, the Philatelic Bureau of Sri Lanka has decided to issue two stamps to mark the occasion at a ceremony to be held at their headquarters auditorium in D. R. Wijewardena Mawatha, Colombo 10 at 3.30 p.m. today.

The Minister of Post and Telecommunication Rauf Hakeem will grace the occasion along with the Minister of Sports Gamini Lokuge and the Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket Duleep Mendis.

The family members of the Sri Lankan cricket team are also expected to participate at this occasion.