Picture Credit: Twitter
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have confirmed that two of its ground staff working at the Sooriyawewa Stadium in Hambantota have been killed by an elephant attack. Although not many details have emerged from the scene, it is being reported that the attack could have well been by a single beast. The bodies of the two staffers who were cycling back home have been found some hundred of metres apart.
This is a big news coming ahead of the Lanka Premier League matches being shifted from Colombo to Hambantota for the Eliminator, Qualifiers and Final. It should be noted that the Eliminator and first Qualifier are set to be staged at Hambantota on December 19 and the incident of the elephant attack hasn't happened too far away from the stadium premises.
Stadium built near a wildlife sanctuary and a national park
Furthermore, the deceased men had been working on the ground for the final of the T20 tournament. The stadium had been built after the 2011 ODI World Cup but is located near a wildlife sanctuary and a national park. In February 2020, the venue hosted a One-Day International between Sri Lanka and West Indies.
Elephant attacks have been common in the island country of Sri Lanka but the problem has only aggravated after the end of the three-decade-long civil war in 2009 after which the country's development plans implied that humans had to use the land which was previously the habitat of the native wildlife and that meant a loss of home for many of such animal species.
Also worth noting is that Hambantota has been one of the most drastically impacted areas due to this animal-human tussle.
Galle Gladiators current table-toppers in LPL 2021
A look at the Lanka Premier League 2021 points table reveals that Galle Gladiators are currently leading the table with two wins and a defeat in three matches. Colombo Stars are second in the points table with a win in their solitary game but have a net run rate of +0.886. Jaffna Kings are third with a win from two matches but their net run rate is +0.042. Dambulla Giants also have a win against their name from two matches with their net run rate reading -1.238. Kandy Warriors are yet to win a match.