The men’s cricket team won the Asia Cup in the T20 format, hours after Sri Lanka won the equivalent championship in women’s netball. Both teams were feted with a parade on Tuesday.
To avoid provoking the security services, demonstrators held largely silent rallies in a show of growing frustration at the president and anger with the dwindling standard of living in the country.
A debt crisis is disrupting life across Sri Lanka, where food and fuel are suddenly either unavailable or exorbitantly priced. Protests are rising against a president with a reputation for brutality.