This lesson in Sri Lankan history came from a patient local colleague over a drink at the P Saravanamuttu Oval in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital. “Do you have my press pass upstairs in the ground or is it at the gate?”“Yes.”Then a message in Sinhala. Sans press pass, confidence ensures passage through those guarding the press facilities. As geopolitical tensions rage across Asia’s cricket-playing nations, Sri Lanka is a bastion of calm. Nor my press pass.

Source: The Irish Times February 13, 2026 15:02 UTC