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Sri Lankan cricket team wore black armbands in memory of their ‘legendary cheerleader' and ‘superfan' Percy Abeysekera during their World Cup match against India in Mumbai on Thursday.
Abeysekera passed away recently after a prolonged battle with illness at the age of 87.
‘Uncle Percy' as he was fondly known, was present at almost all the Sri Lanka matches from the 1979 World Cup, but he gained popularity after the 1996 World Cup which the country co-hosted.
Abeysekera was famous for waving a large Sri Lankan flag during the games, patting the players on their backs and even accompanying the players to and from the dressing room.
“Sri Lanka players will wear black armbands during today's game vs India to pay tribute to the late Percy Abeysekera, the legendary cheerleader,” said an official statement from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
“Abeysekera was an integral part of the game of cricket in Sri Lanka and did play a pivotal role from beyond the boundary line to support and motivate the players. His towering legacy spans across Sri Lanka's pre- and post-Test eras, and his name will remain etched forever among cricket lovers,” the statement added.
India captain Rohit Sharma recalled him meeting Abeysekera during the recent Asia Cup when he visited the latter's house in Colombo.
“I was lucky to get an opportunity to meet him in Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup and he's been such a great fan of cricket. Of course, (of the) Sri Lankan team but he's probably the first ever fan that I met, who was so genuine and the support from his side towards his team, towards the players was fantastic to see,” Rohit said.
Rohit recalled his first-ever trip to Sri Lanka during the 2006 U-19 World Cup but said that he could notice 'Uncle Percy' only during a tour two years later with the Indian senior side.
“When I first went to Sri Lanka in 2006, actually for (the) U19 World Cup, he was there, but I was a little boy, I had no idea about how things work outside (the) cricket field. I was not too much into that,” he said.
“But when I went with the Indian team for the first time in 2008, I saw him for the first time, and I saw how passionate he was.”
“I got lucky as well to meet his family, his son, his grandson...their family is very sweet, I went with (a) few of my team members as well,” Rohit recalled.
“It's a sad loss to the cricketing fraternity because in my eyes, he was the number one supporter of cricket at that point in time. Obviously, there have been so many fans now, but the first-ever fan, cricket fan I saw, was him. It's a sad moment for all of us,” the Indian skipper added.