Amid the instability surrounding Sri Lanka brought along by the economic crisis, former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has urged the Sri Lankan players to speak up against the turmoil.

Ranatunga also asked the players to leave IPL for a week and join fellow countrymen in their protest against the Rajapaksa regime. A man who hates to mince words, the comments should work as a wake-up call for the players part of the cash-rich league.

Sri Lanka is battling a severe economic crisis with food and fuel scarcity affecting a large number of the people in the island nation. The economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I really don't know but there are some cricketers who are lavishly playing in the IPL and haven't spoken about their country. Unfortunately, people are scared to speak against the government. These cricketers are also working for the cricket board under the ministry and they are trying to protect their jobs. But now they have to take a step as some of the young cricketers also came forward and gave statements in support of the protest," Arjuna Ranatunga told news agency ANI as quoted by ndtv.com.

When something is going wrong, you should have the guts to come out and speak against it, without thinking about your business. People ask me why I am not in the protests. It's just that I have been into politics for the last 19 years and this is not a political issue. So far, none of the political parties and politicians have got into the protests and that's the biggest strength of the people of this country," he added.

"I am sure you all know who are the players, playing in the IPL. I don't want to mention but I would want them to leave their job for a week and come in support of the protests," said the former cricketer.

The Sri Lankan economy has been on a downward spiral since the onset of Covid-19. The shortage of essential goods has also forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries. People have hit the streets against the alleged lax on the part of the government to dump such a precarious situation on the island nation. With calls for the dismissal of the Gotabya government, the turbulence is taking its toll on the common people who have been running from pillar to post to make two ends meet.