Aussies in a different Sri Lanka from the one they left

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Aussies in a different Sri Lanka from the one they left

The *********** cricket team is preparing for a different Sri Lanka from the one it left almost three years ago.

Yes, the host nation is a chance to roll out a new XI for the first of two Test matches beginning on Wednesday, with batter Lahiru Udara and spin-bowling allrounder Sonal Dinusha both chances for Test debuts, and Dhananjaya de Silva now captain.

But starker differences will be observed away from the pitch in Galle.

Some *********** players had raised ethical concerns with touring Sri Lanka ahead of the last visit in 2022, when the country was in the grips of the most severe economic crisis in its history.

Protests erupted, eventually leading to the resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as the country struggled to afford essential imports of fuel, food and medicine.

Power cuts and petrol and gas shortages were daily realities for the roughly 22 million residents of the island nation by the time the *********** team arrived in Galle for its two-match series in June 2022.

Sri Lanka’s fuel rationing scheme would last more than a year after the Aussies had left.

Trains between Galle and Colombo went offline to stop protesters from travelling to the capital roughly 125km away, so Sri Lankans held their own demonstrations on the streets around the stadium on match days.

For fear they would unfurl political banners, punters were banned from scaling the northern extremities of the Galle Fort to watch the cricket, but nevertheless overtook it during the second Test.

The small Galle stadium was not full, with prices prohibitive for most locals given the economic circumstances.

This time around, the major source of commotion on the streets of Galle is from tuktuks ferrying visitors into and out of the historic fort precinct.

Tourism has begun to pick up again.

A couple of hundred Australians are expected to join locals in lining the hills and pavilions of the seaside ground for the first ball.

The pandemic and the country’s tense geopolitical state meant the *********** team was largely confined to its hotel in Galle on the last visit.

But players are welcome to roam freely this time.

In the nights before the first Test, a handful have travelled from the team’s beachside resort to explore the colonial fort abuzz with chic bars and restaurants.

“It was very different the last time we were here,” *********** quick Mitch Starc said.

“There were a few question marks around COVID, there was a fair bit going on in the country.

“One thing that didn’t change was their (Sri Lankans’) love of cricket.”

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