Several former and present cricketers paid a glowing tribute to Percy Abeysekara who was in the forefront of cheering the Sri Lanka team at its inaugural Test in 1982 that was against England at the P Sara Oval in Colombo and passed away on Monday at the age of 87.
Some called him a “super fan” who, even in death, made headlines in both the country’s electronic and print media with some newspapers branding him “Uncle Percy”.
Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene described Abeysekara as the “true 12th man for many generations of Sri Lankan cricketers”.
“He was there throughout my entire career, cheering us on, waving his flag and always, win or lose, making us laugh,” Jayawardena said.
Abeysekera was an unmistakable figure at all of Sri Lanka’s international matches played on home soil and was granted permission by his employer to take time off his job to be in the forefront of cheering the team that he also followed overseas.
“It is with great sadness that I heard our beloved Uncle Percy has met his maker. You were the first super fan and for all of us you will always be special. RIP,” Jayasuriya wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Sri Lanka team now taking part in the World Cup in India was also in mourning and one of the players, spin bowler Mahesh Theekshana said it was hard to accept the news that Abeysekera had passed away during the time of an important cricket event.
“He was the main guy who was there when I was a kid. I saw him waving the flag, so as a team we are disappointed to hear that news,” said Theekshana after Sri Lanka’s match against Afghanistan on Monday.
During his early days in cheering the Sri Lanka team, Abeysekara was given the privilege of escorting players with the Lion flag right up to the crease and was allowed to move about freely by the boundary line during international matches played in the island.
His grandsons are named Garfield and Sachinka after West Indian great Garry Sobers and Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar.
Abeysekara was one of the last of the surviving heavyweight cricket enthusiasts in Sri Lanka to have seen the likes of the great Don Bradman play at the P Sara Oval in Colombo in 1948.
In a statement Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said Abeysekera will be remembered as a true follower of the sport for years to come.
“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 followers”, SLC’s statement said.
