Sri Lanka Kollo Wasai (Cricket Song) Lyrics by Gypsies

Sri Lanka’s boys are tops, they smash the hard ball for sixes
We gave them a beating once before
This time too we’ll get the job done
Sri Lanka…. Sri Lanka….
Sri Lanka…. Sri Lanka….

Jayawardene shows the way to victory
Our Sanga shakes the whole world
Jayasuriya raises the flag of victory
Atapattu wins it match by match
The whole world is afraid of Muralitharan
Chaminda Vaas knocks the wickets loose with his bat
Dilhara and Lasith Malinga
The balls they send down beat the best of batsmen

Upul along with Chamara Silva
Tillakaratne and Maharoof get set
Arnold and Bandara get set
In the end it’s they who lift the cup
Let’s set aside every quarrel and division
Let’s gather under one flag
With one heart, let’s raise the cheer of victory
Let’s wish Sri Lanka the win

This is a cricket cheer, a stadium anthem for the Sri Lankan national team. There’s no love story or quiet longing here. It’s pure crowd energy, the kind of song you sing with a flag in your hand and your voice already going hoarse. The opening boast sets the tone: our boys are the best, they hammer the hard ball for sixes, and just as we beat the world once before (a nod to that famous 1996 World Cup win), we’ll do it again.

The heart of the song is a roll call of the team, each player given his own line of praise. Jayawardene shows the path to victory, Sangakkara (“Sanga”) rattles the whole cricketing world, Jayasuriya plants the flag of the win. Then come the bowlers, the part every Sri Lankan fan loves most. The line about the world being afraid of Muralitharan is no exaggeration in feeling, his spin really did terrify batsmen everywhere. Chaminda Vaas “knocking the wickets loose,” Dilhara, and a young Lasith Malinga sending down deliveries that defeat even the finest batsmen. For anyone who followed Sri Lankan cricket in those years, hearing these names strung together is its own kind of nostalgia.

The closing verse is where it turns from a chant into something warmer. After naming Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne, Maharoof, Russel Arnold, and Bandara, all getting “set” at the crease, the song stops listing players and speaks to the crowd itself. Set aside every quarrel and every division, it says, and gather under one flag. For a country that has known plenty of division, that line carries real weight. On the cricket field, for those few hours, everyone is simply Sri Lankan. With one heart we raise the victory cry and wish the team the win. That’s what the song leaves you with, the simple, full-throated joy of a whole island pulling for the same eleven men.