The Embassy of Sri Lanka together with the Sri Lankan expatriate community in the Sultanate of Oman organized the 75th Independence Day Cricket Trophy-2023, as a part of the yearlong special commemorative events of celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka. The Cricket Tournament was held at the Oman Cricket (OC) grounds, Al Amerat on 28 April 2023. The team representing St. Anthony’s College, Wattala won the 75th Independence Day Cricket Trophy-2023 while Richmond College- Mahinda College, Galle combined team won the runner-up trophy. Over 1000 Sri Lankans residing in the Sultanate and cricket fans gathered at the Oman International Cricket stadium
The Sri Lankan Embassy in Oman will have a series of commemorative events to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka from February 2023 to January 2024. The 75th Independence Day commemorations officially commenced with the Flag Hoisting ceremony at the Embassy on 04 February 2023.
The Cricket Tournament was organized with the aim of revamping the splendorous memories of Sri Lankan expatriates’ school life in Sri Lanka. The event commenced with the playing of the National Anthems by the students from Sri Lankan School, Muscat School and unveiling of the 75th Independence Day Trophy by the Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Sultanate of Oman A.L. Sabarullah Khan. Twelve teams participated in the tournament representing 16 Schools in Sri Lanka. A cricket match was also organized for the female Sri Lankan cricket players in the Sultanate and a Sri Lankan cultural show by the students of the Sri Lankan School Muscat took place alongside the matches. Fun games for kids, spot quizzes , a lucky draw for all Sri Lankans who visited, a special live band performance and stalls with Sri Lankan food and Sri Lankan tea were also arranged at the ground parallel to the cricket matches making it an exclusively live Sri Lankan Day at the Al – Amrat Cricket grounds in the Sultanate.
Chairman of Oman Cricket Pankaj Khimji and former national cricket player and test captain of Sri Lanka, Dulip Mendis, who is the current head coach of the national cricket team of the Sultanate of Oman, and also the Chief Development Officer of Oman Cricket, extended support to the Embassy along with members of the Oman Cricket management Lakshitha Iroshan Dayarathne and Anoop Cholath Kandy. The event was broadcasted live on YouTube with a thousands of views from Sri Lankan community members around the world. International commentators Pranav Mehta, International Umpire Navaneetha Krishnan, and Ravindra Rajagopal added value through their live commentary of the event.
Vodafone in the Sultanate sponsored the tournament as the Event Partner, while the National Life & General Insurance Co, Khimji Ramdas and Aitken Spence were the Gold Partner. OIG, Lulu Hypermarket, NBO, Al Bahja Group, Al Omaniya Financials, Al Ansari Group, Bank of Ceylon, Modern Shipping, Al Diyafah, Pocari, Oasis Water, Colombo Café, AMM Sports, MHD, Sheraton, Woodland, Hormuz Grand Hotel, Mumtaz Mahal, Stessan Tea, KIMS Health and Oman Foodstuff- Al Mudhish were the Associate Partners whose generous sponsorship have made a tremendous impact on the successful conclusion of the event.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Muscat
04 May 2023
