The Barmy Army — that's what the uniformed supporters of English cricket who follow their team across the world are called — is furious. When a huge bunch of English cricket supporters landed in the south Sri Lankan Dutch-port city of Galle, they were in for a rude shock. Many members of the “Army” had arrived in Galle hoping to take advantage of the fact that entry tickets into the Galle stadium was cheaper when bought across the counter than when a travel agent in England offered it to them.
Last year when Australia was here, the tickets were available dirt cheap — Sri Lankan Rs. 300, Rs. 500 and Rs. 700 for a day (1 Indian Re = 2.5 Sri Lankan Rs). But Sri Lankan Cricket administrators had other ideas this time around. They figured out that the Barmy Army was anyway coming to the match in strength and decided to hike the entry price. This time around, the price is Rs. 5,000 and Rs.7,000 for a day!
British journalists covering the test series raised the question a day ahead of the tour opener at a press conference. Sri Lankan Cricket administrators dismissed allegations that the Barmy Army was being treated differently from that of the locals. “The price is the same for everyone,” asserted Nisantha Ranatunga, its secretary. Well, that might have been true for admission to only one section of the 9000-capacity stadium.
