Peshawar Zalmi’s Javed Afridi offers sponsorship to SLC amid economic crisis

As Sri Lanka goes through turmoil and an economic crisis, Pakistani league cricket's Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi has extended a sponsorship offer to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in a goodwill gesture.

Understanding the Sri Lankans' love for cricket , Afridi said that he is extending his support to SLC in order to maintain the country's international status in world cricket.

"The people of Sri Lanka love cricket as dearly as we Pakistanis do but the current not so good situation must’ve hurt Lankans cricket fans. So I extend my full support to sponsor @OfficialSLC in best of my capacities to maintain their international status in world cricket area," he wrote on Twitter.

Sri Lankan PM resigns

On May 9, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as an outbreak of political violence killed five people, including an MP, and wounded almost 200, AFP reported.

Lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala from the ruling party shot two people — killing a 27-year-old man — and then took his own life after being surrounded by a mob of anti-government protesters outside Colombo, said the police.

Another ruling-party politician who was not named opened fire on anti-government protesters in the southern town of Weeraketiya, killing two and wounding five, according to police.

Sri Lanka has suffered months of blackouts and dire shortages of food, fuel and medicines in its worst economic crisis since independence.