England fan waits 10 months for SL Test — and gets kicked out

GALLE: An England cricket fan who waited 10 months in Sri Lanka to watch his team play was escorted away by police before a ball had been bowled in the first Test on Thursday.

Rob Lewis, who decided to stay in the country after the original tour was aborted over the coronavirus last March, had to resort to subterfuge to sneak a peek at the day’s play.

Lewis was ordered off the historic ramparts of Galle Fort, a vantage point which overlooks the city’s cricket ground, just after the national anthems. The game was held behind closed doors because of the pandemic.

“I am very frustrated. I waited 10 months to watch this match and the police have kicked me out,” Lewis told AFP.

Hours after getting his marching orders, Lewis returned to another area of the fort further from the ground, but still with a view of the game.

“Back on the Fort because I work here now,” he said on Twitter without giving an explanation, though he was wearing a hard hat and a fluorescent safety jacket over his England T shirt.

He had put up three banners, including one from the Barmy Army, as England’s supporters are known, and another for a charity helping stray dogs in Sri Lanka. But they were also taken down by authorities.