If you are on Sri Lanka time, you are half-an-hour late to pretty much everything. No matter how big the match is, no matter how much they want to be there on time, the island's cricket crowds are no exception.
When this game against Australia started, the grass banks in Pallekele were far from full. The seats in the stand at the southern end were also still filling. Drone-shot footage of the queues outside the stadium were still being shown on the broadcast. Not everyone had quite arrived.
And Sri Lanka's men were playing poorly. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh were laying waste to their early-overs seamers, and what's worse, Matheesha Pathirana - Sri Lanka's best bowler, and death-overs specialist - pulled a muscle in his left leg and hobbled off the field after four balls. You could see a total of 250 materialising here. Even if Sri Lanka lose big, at least that would be something to watch.
But then, between 35-45ish minutes into the game, both the banks and the stands are packed, and the Sri Lanka team suddenly works like they are on the clock.
Some things to understand about the Pallekele crowd:
Because many spectators come from quite a distance (this ground frequently draws fans from cities hundreds of kilometres away), they feel entitled to good cricket from Sri Lanka.
Because international cricket arrives here so infrequently, audiences are more desirous of their team not playing like trash.
If Sri Lanka play below expectation, there is no ground that lets the players know more vociferously.
In 2017, the Pallekele crowd threw plastic bottles in the dying stages of a game to show their displeasure with this result; in 2024, Pallekele fans went viral for voicing their anger at players for this result; and then, just in the last two weeks, similar videos - featuring fans demanding more of the team - went viral after the losses to England. This is not a crowd to be trifled with.
In this game, Sri Lanka had allowed Australia to race to 97 for no loss after eight overs, but right then is when the facts changed. This was a World Cup. The grass banks and the stand were now packed. It was time to smarten up the act.
Sri Lanka's cricketers smoothed out their trousers, straightened their ties, and played from that moment on like the boss had arrived. Until the end of over eight, Australia went at 12.12 an over. After that they went at about seven. On top of which, the bowlers were incredibly effective.
Dushmantha Chameera's first over - and the first of the innings - had disappeared for 16. But after the crowd (the boss) arrived, it became increasingly more impressive. His second over, which was the 16th of Australia's innings, went for nine, and created a catching chance which Pathum Nissanka (more on him later), dropped.
Ashton Agar and Saba Karim also praise the Sri Lanka batter for his century against Australia in the T20 World Cup
Chameera's next over then cost Sri Lanka just seven, and brought a wicket. His last created another dismissal, conceded only four, and brought two run-outs into fruition. Good stuff. Sri Lanka claimed ten wickets for 84 funs off 72 balls. You have done your bit. Get out of here!
In the chase, Nissanka produced maybe the innings of the tournament so far, the Pallekele crowd lapping every action up. For this crowd, Nissanka blazed a trail, taking 28 off 20 in the powerplay before kicking things up one gear, then another one, then another. Nissanka reverse-swept left-arm spinners, pulled seam bowlers into the stands, and generally laid waste to the Australia attack. The crowd was enamoured. "Pathumaaaaaa" was screamed every time one of his 15 boundaries was struck. He is Sri Lanka's first space-age batter, and this was validating proof, as he timed the pants off some truly ludicrous shots. His last six of five was a whip-scoop off Nathan Ellis.
Nissanka also fed off the crowd during his hundred, he said: "Actually, it was a big help because when they come to a ground and support us like this, even we feed off that energy. I'm asking them to keep coming and to keep supporting us."
Saba Karim, Farveez Maharoof and Ashton Agar on whether Sri Lanka's comeback will be enough
Now that the team has proved itself, Sri Lanka's crowds will only be too glad to indulge Nissanka. Progression to the Super Eight stage was the least expected. Such has been the long-trajectory of decline of Sri Lankan cricket, a place in the semi-finals is as much as anyone hopes for.
The crowd in Pallekele knew how things should go, though. They arrived after eight overs, took stock, and put a winning Sri Lanka performance in place. And although Australia are a weakened site, and despite Sri Lanka having beaten Australia in the last few years, Pallekele wants more. Pallekele always wants more.
As they left the ground, and found their way back to Kandy, to the towns further north, to Dambulla, and further afield, fans left with a fresh sense of wonder. "Kollo set eka kochchara kaalekinda mehema gahuwe? (Wow, how long has it been since we saw the boys played like this?)" For hours into the night, they were streaming out of the venue screaming "Sri Lanka! Sri Lanka! Sri Lanka!" with a few "Nissanka! Nissanka!" chants thrown in.
When the Sri Lanka bus left the ground, thousands were still making their way home by foot, and for a change, made a point to raucously pour their love out on the players whizzing past. This has long been the way of Sri Lankan cricket. If a fire has been lit under this team, these thousands were the arsonists.