Peshawar Zalmi’s Javed Afridi extends sponsorship offer to SLC

• Peshawar Zalmi’s Javed Afridi extends a sponsorship offer to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
• "I extend my full support to sponsor SLC in best of my capacities to maintain their international status in world cricket area," he says. 
• He says the people of Sri Lanka love cricket as dearly as we Pakistanis do.

In a goodwill gesture, Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Peshawar Zalmi’s owner, Javed Afridi, on Sunday extended a sponsorship offer to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) amid the recent turmoil and economic crisis in the country.

Taking to his Twitter handle, Javed Afridi wrote: “The people of Sri Lanka love cricket as dearly as we Pakistanis do but the current not so good situation must’ve hurt Lankans cricket fans".

He said that his offer was meant for maintaining Sri Lanka’s international status in world cricket.

“So I extend my full support to sponsor @OfficialSLC in best of my capacities to maintain their international status in world cricket area,” added Javed Afridi.

Sri Lankan PM resigns

On May 9, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as an outbreak of political violence killed five people, including an MP, and wounded almost 200, AFP reported.

Lawmaker Amarakeerthi Athukorala from the ruling party shot two people — killing a 27-year-old man — and then took his own life after being surrounded by a mob of anti-government protesters outside Colombo, said the police.

Another ruling-party politician who was not named opened fire on anti-government protesters in the southern town of Weeraketiya, killing two and wounding five, according to police.

Sri Lanka has suffered months of blackouts and dire shortages of food, fuel and medicines in its worst economic crisis since independence.