COLOMBO, (Reuters) – Traffic came to a standstill as thousands of cheering fans lined the streets to welcome home the Sri Lankan cricket team who touched down at Bandaranaike International Airport today following their triumph at the World Twenty20 tournament.
Eighteen years after winning the 50-overs World Cup, the Sri Lankan cricket team again sparked euphoria across the island nation after beating favourites India in Sunday’s Twenty20 final.
Following their three-hour flight from Dhaka, the team showed off the World Cup trophy as they travelled in an open-top bus along a 30 kilometre route to Temple Trees, the official residence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“I am thankful for all the Sri Lankan fans, because without them, to have won this tournament, it would have been impossible,” Kumar Sangakkara, who made his final T20 international appearance on Sunday, told a news conference held at the airport.