The Sri Lankan cricket team paid tribute to their beloved 'legendary cheerleader' and 'superfan,' Percy Abeysekera, by wearing armbands during their ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match against India. Percy Abeysekera, affectionately known as 'Uncle Percy,' recently passed away at the age of 87 after a long battle with illness. He used to be present at nearly all of Sri Lanka's matches since the 1979 World Cup, but he gained widespread recognition after the 1996 World Cup, which Sri Lanka co-hosted.


Percy Abeysekera was well-known for waving a large Sri Lankan flag during games, offering encouragement to players by patting them on their backs, and even accompanying them to and from the dressing room.


Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) issued an official statement saying, "Sri Lanka players will wear black armbands during today's game vs India to pay tribute to the late Percy Abeysekera, the legendary cheerleader. 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.”


Indian captain Rohit Sharma shared his memories of meeting Percy Abeysekera during the recent Asia Cup when he visited Abeysekera's home 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 during the pre-match press conference on November 1.


Rohit reminisced about his initial visit to Sri Lanka during the 2006 U-19 World Cup but mentioned that he truly noticed 'Uncle Percy' only during a tour two years later with the Indian senior team.


"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," added the Indian skipper.


India are playing against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 2 (Saturday). Sri Lanka won the toss and put India in to bat. After what was a rather nervy start, India fought back well to place themselves at 126-1 after 21 overs.