evidence: Percy Abeysekara, cricket’s original cheerleader and Sri Lanka’s mascot, will not be seen standing on the boundary with the Sri Lanka flag anymore. Lovingly known world over as Uncle Percy, he died on Monday, aged 87. "It is with great sadness that I heard our beloved Uncle Percy has met his maker. You were the first superfan and for all of us you will always be special. RIP," wrote Sanath Jayasuriya on X on Monday. Percy was to Sri Lanka what Chacha Cricket was to Pakistan or Gravy to Antigua, and perhaps much much more. At a time superfans didn’t exist as a concept or even a dream, Percy was a regular fixture at matches featuring Sri Lanka—patting players, escorting batters from the boundary rope to the dressing room fringes, waving the flag all along. Abeysekera cheered for Sri Lanka since the 1979 World Cup but he gained more fame during the 1996 edition that was co-hosted by Sri Lanka. He was almost synonymous with the golden generation of Sri Lanka, right from the heady World Cup winning days of 1996 till about the mid 2010s when the last of the greats—Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan retired within the space of a few years. "From my debut till my last game Uncle Percy was a constant. His contribution to the game in Sri Lanka stands equal to any of the players that have worn the shirt. His energy, his passion, knowledge and rhyme will be sorely missed. Rest in peace Uncle Percy," wrote Sangakkara on X.