At a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Colombo on Sunday, Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning opener Sanath Jayasuriya sought India's help to build an international cricket stadium in Jaffna. “There are many talented cricketers in Jaffna, so I requested the Honourable Prime Minister if he could help us build this facility in Jaffna. He said he would discuss with his team and definitely revert back to us soon,” Jayasuriya, 55, who is now the coach of the Lankan team, told The Indian Express. Jayasuriya was among the World Cup-winning Lankan team members, including Aravinda de Silva, Chaminda Vaas and Marvan Atapattu, who met Modi. Ever since the International Cricket Council (ICC) allotted the 2026 T20 World Cup to Sri Lanka as a co-host alongside India, the government there and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have been looking to set up a new stadium. But with the country still recovering from the economic crisis, Jayasuriya acknowledged that it would be difficult for them. “For us to do it, it’s very difficult. As a country, as the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, it’s very difficult. We have managed to put a system in place. We have appointed provincial coaches in Jaffna, district coaches, so a system is in place. There are many schools playing cricket in Jaffna. A (cricketing) culture is there. But to take it to the next level, we need to connect more with international cricketers and we need India’s help on that front,” Jayasuriya said. A wonderful conversation with members of the Sri Lankan cricket team that won the 1996 World Cup. Do watch… pic.twitter.com/3cOD0rBZjA— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 6, 2025 At present, there is no cricketing team from the region that features in Sri Lanka’s first-class circuit, although several Tamils, including Muttiah Muralitharan, have represented the country. Explaining the reason why Jaffna, the capital of Lanka's Northern Province, needs sporting infrastructure, he said: “We have the grounds down south - Colombo, Hambantota, Dambulla, Pallekele - but not in the north. We went through a long period of unrest for about 30 years. That has changed now and people need to connect the north and south. And the best way to do it is through sports. We have been doing a lot of things. But if we can build an international stadium in Jaffna, it will bring people closer and closer. They won't feel left behind.” In the 1980s, Jaffna was the base for the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which engaged in a long civil war against the Lankan government. India had deployed a peacekeeping force to help end the civil war. “It is time an international stadium came up in Jaffna because they are enthusiastic sportspeople. Like all Sri Lankans, they are also a sports-loving crowd and love the game passionately. So we also need to give them that opportunity. This is why I initiated this topic and I hope it will work. In the past, I have pushed many into the Sri Lanka team. But I have never pushed for an international stadium. This is the first time, I thought Jaffna should have one and I made the pitch,” Jayasuriya said. In the past, China had helped Lanka build the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota.
