Asia Cup: How crisis-hit Sri Lanka are rebuilding their brand

Sticking together for each other over the past 18 months, SL team becomes joy factor all over againDUBAI: After Sri Lanka beat India last Tuesday, their press conference was delayed for a bit. The team management was in a huddle of sorts at the door of the press conference room. Bhanuka Rajapksa opened the door and as he was about to enter the room, captain Dasun Shanaka pulled his arm and gave him clear instructions in his ears. Rajapaksa is one of the most eloquent English-speaking cricketers in the Asia Cup. He is definitely the most fluent in the Sri Lankan team. He was tasked with facing the media after Shanaka's Bangladesh-are-much-easier-opponent comments created a flutter on the opening night of the tournament.

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Rajapaksa had come for the previous press conference too when they had knocked out Bangladesh. He tried to imply his captain was never mean with his comments. He was misunderstood. On Friday night, Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga sat together to talk to the media. Shanaka's English is broken but Hasaranga really struggles to verbalise his thoughts in the language. As the press conference went on for 11 minutes, both helped each other find the apt words for their feelings. This is a Sri Lankan team which has players taking care of each other both on and off the field. A team that respects its captain and a captain happy to play the underdog. If the world, watching and reading about Sri Lanka unravelling as a nation, needed any evidence of the indomitable Sri Lankan spirit, this team is it. "With all the crisis,