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Cricket-obsessed Percy Abeysekera (right) has been a constant presence at Sri Lanka's cricket matches since their first Test against England in 1982 and even the country's worst economic crisis cannot keep him away.
Forty years ago, he escorted England batsman Chris Tavare to the pitch at the P. Sara Oval in the capital Colombo while carrying a Sri Lankan flag.
Now 85, the man fondly known as Uncle Percy has been a regular feature since. He's allowed on the field by Sri Lanka's cricket authorities, to accompany the team after every game, win or lose, still carrying his flag.
While an avid supporter of his national side, Abeysekera is known for the respect he shows rivals - a far cry from the sledging employed by fans and even players of some teams.
Naturally, he was at Galle earlier this month, when hundreds of protesters climbed the walls of the ancient fort overlooking the ground during the second Test against Australia to demand the removal of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis since independence, without the foreign exchange to pay for essentials including fuel and medicines, and leading to widespread shortages.
A furious mob in Colombo forced the president to flee his home, leave the country days later and resigned.
"Our team's performance is better than the performance of the politicians in Sri Lanka," said Abeysekera.
"Not a single politician can match up to these cricketers. They are not politicians, they are lunatics. I hate politics."
Abeysekera was twice invited to join the Sri Lankan cricket board but declined the position.
"There are three things I don't like in the whole world: politics, cricket administration and birth control," he said.
His grandsons are named Garfield (after the West Indies' Sobers, the first batsman to hit six sixes in a first-class over) and Sachinka (after Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar).
Cricket has offered Sri Lankans a welcome distraction from their country's travails, with a 3-2 one-day series win over Australia followed by a 1-1 Test series draw.
Pakistan are currently touring the Indian Ocean island, with the hosts looking to bounce back on Sunday from a defeat in the first Test in Galle.
Abeysekera has worked at a cable company for 59 years, and friends and family take care of his accommodation at the different match venues.
He took a bus from Colombo to Galle to attend the current series of games but is having to walk to the stadium with no tuk-tuk available.
"Never have I seen such a crisis," he said.
"I saw the world war, I saw the tsunami, I saw the LTTE attacks," he said, referring to the Tamil Tigers who fought a separatist war for decades.
"This is something else, but I somehow manage to come to the ground."
As a boy, Abeysekera saw Don Bradman play at the Colombo Oval in 1948, and almost 50 years later watched Sri Lanka defeat Australia in Lahore to win the 50-over World Cup. It was one of his lifetime's cricketing highlights.
Abeysekera's affable demeanour has won him the affection of even his beloved team's opponents. Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe once handed him his man-of-the-match award. He got a hug from Virat Kohli during India's tour to Sri Lanka in 2015 and was invited into the visitors' dressing room.
"For when the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, He writes not that you won or lost, but how you played the game," he says, quoting American sports writer Grantland Rice.
"Play fair, cheer the victor and honour the loser."
AFP
"Our team's performance is better than the performance of the politicians in Sri Lanka. Not a single politician can match up to these cricketers."
- Percy Abeysekera
