Percy Abeysekera, Sri Lanka cricket team Superfan, passes away aged 87 after prolonged battle with illness

Percy Abeysekera, a long-time supporter of the Sri Lanka cricket team, passed away in Colombo on Monday after a battle with prolonged illness.

He was 87. Abeysekera was remembered for his iconic way of waving the Sri Lankan fan during the national team’s cricket games. Abeysekera, who was fondly called as Uncle Percy by fans and cricketers alike, was a constant presence on cricket grounds across the world where his country played. Abeysekera, known for his colourful dressing, began his travels to cheer for the Lankan cricket team from the 1979 World Cup and since then he attended all major cricketing events except the ongoing World Cup owing to poor health. His friendship with leading Lankan cricketers like Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara made him an unavoidable figure in the country’s cricketing landscape. Jayasuriya and former cricketer Russell Arnold paid tribute to Abeysekara on social media.

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan also offered condolences to Uncle Percy.

Abeysekera also shared cordial relationship with Indian cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Rohit had visited Abeysekera at his home in Colombo during the recent Asia Cup. Kohli had invited Abeysekera to the Indian dressing room for a short interaction during the tour to Sri Lanka in 2015. However, Abeysekera’s health was not at its best over the last year and the Sri Lanka Cricket had recently given him LKR 5 million to meet his medical expenses. With inputs from PTI