JOIN USIndia and Sri Lanka were severely affected by the disaster which occurred when the Sri Lankan cricket team was touring New Zealand for a one-day series. Several Sri Lankan players were badly shaken by tales of near-misses involving family, none more so than former skipper Sanath Jayasuriya, whose mother had a providential escape.
Last week’s tsunami in Samoa too has a strong cricketing link of sorts. The tiny Pacific island nation has little cricketing tradition of its own, though one of the rising stars in the New Zealand team, Ross Taylor, has a personal connection with Samoa.
On the eve of New Zealand’s Champions Trophy final against Australia, Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori revealed that the 25-year-old right-handed batsman of Maori origin had been deeply affected by the tragedy in Samoa that resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives.
“Some people may have noticed that Ross Taylor wore a black armband yesterday during the semifinal win over Pakistan,” Vettori observed. “Ross has got a lot of family back in Samoa and whilst I don’t think he has had any tragedies, they have had to be moved to higher ground to get away from it all. It’s affected him quite deeply, and we’ve tried in a lot of ways to support him and support whatever goes on over there.”