"We're Running Out Of Time": Former Sri Lanka Cricketer Roshan Mahanama To NDTV

Blaming the leaders for creating the economic crisis that Sri Lanka currently finds itself in, former cricketer Roshan Mahanama said that the country is running out of time. Mahanama, who was part of Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning team, said that the middle-class of the country has been slowly wiped out and people will continue to protest unless and until the leaders come up with a solution to address the dire situation. The former cricketer was also critical of the current regime and said that there is a need for a change.

"They (Sri Lankan people) have been there during the good and bad times for me when I was a player and I think I have a responsibility to come out and speak up on behalf of them. Yes, we are going through a crisis. This is a very unusual crisis. I was told that India also had a similar problem in 1991, if I'm not mistaken. This is a crisis that in my point of view has been created by the leaders of the country," Mahanama said in an interview with NDTV.

"I feel that the middle-class in the country has been slowly getting wiped out. That's why everyone is getting onto the streets. At the end of the day, when you don't have petrol, electricity, milk powder, essentials -- this is up to the leaders to make sure that they keep their citizens comfortable.

"I feel that we need to have a change in the regime. All these parties need to get together to come up with a solution. They need to discuss solutions. They do have a responsibility that we come out of this situation," he added.

"We are running out of time. They (the leaders) are the people who are responsible in taking these decisions. People will keep protesting until they see that some important decisions are taken. And it's important that we show