” While the action was taking place on the pitch, outside the ground there was a protest by the Tamil Youth Organisation who wantSri Lankacricket boycotted until the country agrees to an investigation of war crimes in 2009. They chanted throughout the session from a cordoned off area and are expected to be a presence at various stages throughout the tour” — Andrew McGlashan reporting for cricinfo in describing the first day’s play in the warm-up game between Sri Lanka and Middlesex. As most followers of the game know, a few Tamil Australians, supported by a few White Australian fellow-travellers, distributed anti-Sri Lankan pamphlets outside the MCG during the ODI match between Australia and Sri Lanka in November 2010. Some leaflets targeted Ajantha Mendis in particular –even though he was not part of the touring squad. But he is very much part of the England tour.
Scenes at Uxbridge from http://www.tamilnet.com/pic.html?path=/img/publish/2011/05/uxb04.jpg&width=2361&height=1574&caption=Tamilnet.com
For virulent demonstrations on the streets outside the cricket grounds in Toronto on 12 October 2008 which also targeted Mendis, see http://cricketique.wordpress.com/photo-shots/ as well as the book INCURSIONS. (Colombo, 1911).
SEE = http://cricketique.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/incursions-and-excursions-in-and-around-sri-lankan-cricket-a-presentation/ for leads to a book which has a chapter on “Tamil Incursions” onto the cricket scene fom 1975 to 2008.
SEE http://cricketique.wordpress.com FOR the cricket reports on the Middlesex match.
SEE http://cricketique.wordpress.com/photo-shots/ for images of the young Tamil Canadian Maiyoorian streaking during a world cup match at St. Georges. cricket ground in Grenada in 2007.
Tamil protest at Kennington Oval, London, 11 June 1975 — an action that was preceded by a demonstration at Old Trafford, Manchester during the ODI match between Sri Lanka and West Indies, on 8 June 1975. By coincidence the Australian cricket team seems destined to ‘enjoy’ most such peaceful intrusions.
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