Nobody may be as involved in the game and as knowledgeable as this Sri Lanka team’s cheerleader.
When you first meet Percy Abeyesekera, he may appear to be a publicity seeker, a drunkard or may be a fan waiting to get flashed behind a player. But make no mistake he is not an alcoholic, nor does he want attention. He is surely not another wannabe. One search on Google would reveal how famous this man from Galle is.
You may have seen chacha waving the Pakistani flag at every international match played by Pakistan, the Barmy Army touring with the English for fun sake or a dairy worker from Bihar (Sudhir Kumar Gautam), cycling to Bangladesh to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat. But nobody may be as involved in the game and as knowledgeable as this Sri Lanka team’s cheerleader.
Percy is respected by everyone — from players to public — for his passion for the game. He once sledged David Boon on Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka. Minutes before lunch at the SSC in Colombo, Percy said… “Come on Boon, You Tasmanian goon, Come back soon, before noon.” Soon the Australian opener got out. It is said, Percy then went up to him and said bad luck. That almost got the Aussie irritated and he chased him. “Cricket is my passion. I have been following cricket since I was a kid. I have played Division III but had I been in Colombo I would have tried my luck at the highest level,” he says.
The 74-year-old, who has completed five decades in cheering the Lankan team, has seen Don Bradman play live in 1948. “I have seen Don Bradman play in Sri Lanka. Not only him but Vijay Hazare, Lala Amarnath, Vijay Manjrekar and all,” reveals Percy, who is working as a Public Relations Consultant for a cable company. “I go to all matches in Sri Lanka but am not a regular with the Sri Lankan team. I used to go along with the team and stay in the same hotel but it is not good now and I avoid it,” he adds.
Percy has penned a song for Muttiah Muralitharan’s farewell. “We will never have a bowler like Muralitharan like you can’t have Bedi, Chandrashekhar, Venkatraghvan or a Prasanna. The team was united because of him. We wish him luck for his future.” As far as the current series is concerned, Percy is not biased towards Sri Lanka. “The one who plays better should win. My heart always beats for Lanka,” he says.
Sachin Tendulkar is among the top three batsmen in Percy’s favourites list. “Vivan Richards, Garfield Sobbers and Sachin Tendulkar,” says Percy, who has named his son and grandson after Sobers and Tendulkar respectively.
His passion for Lankan cricket is so much that he wants to keep cheering till he dies. “I love my motherland. I would be happy if I die cheering on the ground.” He further adds, he wants his grandsons to play cricket but they are more into rugby.
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