The most appealing side-effect of Sri Lankan cricket from where I stand, shuffling words, has been linguistic.

Sure, cricket on a beach on the isle of Jura is different from a Test match in a stadium in Galle, 6000 miles away, despite the sea air.

Cricket fans all over the world probably have more in common with each other than with their fellow citizens.

Sri Lankans of every kind, overwhelmingly the poorest, have been bombed by one side or the other for decades.

My writing has been shaped by the three countries - Sri Lanka, the Philippines and England - I have lived in.

Sri Lanka is a part of my background: it's not where I live, but it's what I want to explore. And I find it works very well to explore through fiction.