A kid fainted during the Sri Lankan national anthem before the start of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 Match 30 in Pune. This incident reminded a fan about her school assembly as kids feeling dizzy whilst standing in elongated morning ceremonies in the Indian summer heat is quite a usual sight.
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Despite not being part of a morning school assembly, something similar happened to a mascot at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on a Monday afternoon. Apart from the duration of the anthem, the city’s scorching heat also played a significant part in making the boy uncomfortable.
Standing right behind him, Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis immediately helped him. Subsequently, someone from Afghanistan’s camp also offered help by taking the kid away from the spotlight. Even Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka, who later missed out on a special World Cup record by just four runs, appeared concerned at the time.
For the unversed, it is worth of a mention that the Sri Lankan national anthem is around two-and-a-half-minute long. Written by Ananda Samarakoon (Sinhala) and M. Naliathambi (Tamil), it promotes values and gratitude of freedom. Readers must note that the Sri Lankan national anthem isn’t the longest in terms of duration.
Sri Lankan National Anthem Was Once Trolled By Jonny Bairstow
During ICC T20 World Cup 2022, England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow had taken a dig at the duration of the Sri Lankan national anthem. Bairstow had expressed a regrettable opinion before the start of a league match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
“Is the Sri Lanka National Anthem the longest in the world? Some people can’t remember 1 verse of the English and don’t know the second! great effort!,” Bairstow had written on Twitter (now X) last year.
Bairstow, whose team faced Sri Lanka in the same round a week later, was properly schooled by fans for making fun of the anthem of a cricketing nation. Amid severe backlash, Bairstow eventually decided to delete his tweet.
It is worth of a mention that it wasn’t for the first time when the Englishman had cast doubts over the Sri Lankan anthem. Bairstow had uploaded a similar post before ICC World Twenty20 2014 final between Sri Lanka and India as well.
While Bairstow wasn’t part of the English T20 World Cup squad nine years ago, he was forced to miss last year’s global event due to a freak foot injury. As far as 2023 World Cup is concerned, the right-handed batter has scored 141 runs at an average and strike rate of 23.50 and 85.97 respectively thus far.
