One thing I never really thought I would miss is cricket. Sri Lanka won the world cup in 1996, and ever since, the country has been cricket crazy. It is so widely played and televised that any one could be forgiven for thinking that it is our national sport.
As recently as during my trip back home in February, I could be heard telling people discussing the forthcoming world cup that cricket is one thing I don't miss. I always thought it was a waste of time, and still do.
However, since the world cup started this month, I have found myself visiting (intentionally) the world cup site a few times. Just the fact that I am curious about world cup news is a new development that has surprised me. Before I got here, if I visited the site even once, it would be a big deal. On the other hand, if I were back home, I would be surrounded by never ending discussions of every bowl over and over again. Given that there are 600 bowls per cricket match, that's a lot of conversation that I would rather not hear. My life is devoid of those conversations now and I'm wondering if absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
I visited the site a while ago to find out the results of Sri Lanka's match against India today and was overjoyed when I read: "Sri Lanka sink a billion hopes". I immediately messaged a (typical Indian) cricket obsessed friend of mine to gloat about it. I also read about Pakistan's coach being murdered and hope that things are resolved soon.
That however does not sour our victory and I am just as overjoyed as any Sri Lankan right now. In fact, at this moment, I can picture my family celebrating and my Indian cousins going into mourning. The news coming out of Sri Lanka in the past few days hasn't been good and I hope all my fellow Sri Lankans are taking a moment to revel in this victory.
I know I am.
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