Sri Lanka fans face Windies TV blackout

COLOMBO: Cricket-mad Sri Lanka fans face a TV and radio blackout during the Test series against West Indies following a slump in advertiser interest. The three main TV stations have all turned down the chance to broadcast the two-Test series which starts on tomorrow. “The team’s performance has dropped and advertisers are not interested any more,” said Upali Arambewela, a director-general of Rupavahini, the main cricket broadcaster. “They are telling us that they would now prefer to advertise on our non-cricket programmes,” he added. Sri Lanka have been through a moderate spell although they did bounce back last week to win the one-day series against the West Indies 2-1.