Sri Lanka players wear black armbands in the CT 2017 opener against South Africa

Tragedy struck on the tropical island of Sri Lanka a few days back when it was hit by floods and mudslides which caused nearly half a million people to lose their homes. Around 202 people have lost their lives while another 100 have been reported to be missing. Latest reports have suggested that more than 1800 homes have been damaged.

The damage of the floods was so intense in some places where they were 18 feet under water, the rescue team was in full force all out in boats to search for the survivors. Indian and Pakistan naval ships also arrived in Sri Lanka armed with medical supplies and also helped in relocating some of the people who were stranded. The floods affected most of the Western, Southern and Central Provinces. The heavy South West monsoon is said to be responsible for the floods.

Respect shown by the Srilankan team

The Sri Lankan team, however, start their Champions Trophy campaign on Saturday up against one of the favourites of the tournament South Africa at The Oval. They won the toss and put the South Africans into bat. When the Sri Lankans came to the field, they were seen wearing black armbands to pay their respects for the lives lost in the tragic floods that hit the nation.

South Africa were choked at the start of the inning but Hashim Amla scored a wonderful century and was supported well by Faf du Plessis’ half century to ensure the team managed a score of 300 that looks par on this wicket. Sri Lanka started their chase on a positive note and at the time of publishing of this post were 116/2 in 17 overs. A good partnership in the middle overs followed by a decent finish and they should be over the line.