Agency :
Some Sri Lankan cricket stars are backing protests sweeping the island nation over a spiraling economic crisis, with former Test captain Mahela Jayawardene urging government leaders to resign.
The country is suffering severe shortages of food, fuel, and other essentials- along with record inflation and crippling power cuts- in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.
Protests condemning the government’s management of the crisis were staged around the island on the weekend in defiance of a curfew and a state of emergency that saw troops deployed to keep order on the streets.
Jayawardene, who now coaches Mumbai in the Indian Premier League, said Sri Lanka’s leadership had lost the public’s confidence.
Current and former cricketers enjoy a massive fan following in Sri Lanka and their comments carry weight.
