Read this blog: The one where we attend our first international cricket game overseas
Friday 27th February 2026
In 1907 Negombo was connected to the extensive railway network which the British were building in Sri Lanka to streamline the transportation of produce including coconuts, tea and coffee from the cool hill plantations down to the ports. Winding through thick jungle, across mountains and along dramatic coastlines it became known as one of the most picturesque railway networks in the world. Robert designed and booked this trip around some of his bucket list train journeys up to the plantations but the second set back on this tour is that many train services in Sri Lanka are not currently running normally.
We knew before we left the UK that, sadly, extreme weather in November 2025 had caused severe flooding which had resulted in several deaths and damaged the railways. Heavy rainfall caused landslides which washed away sections of track and weakened embankments and bridges. Large sections of the track were subsequently impassable, particularly in the more challenging mountainous areas where the terrain is steep.
Before trains can run safely again, the land has to be properly stabilised and the infrastructure rebuilt. The scenic routes in the hill country which were top of Robert’s list have been the worst affected and are now only running on certain limited sections of the route and are still subject to cancellations and delays.
The ticket office at Negombo Station is not manned all the time but opens about half an hour before a train is due to depart. Robert was first in the queue.
Having bought our tickets we went over the bridge to wait for our train to pull in [see Video of the day].
Initially the train was busy but we were lucky enough to get seats for the second half of the journey to Colombo Fort Railway Station [see Selfie of the day].
Once in Colombo we checked in to the Fairway Colombo Hotel which has a hostelry conveniently attached to it.
Robert had been excited to discover that there would be an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo while we here. When he booked the tickets back in December the teams had not been confirmed for this part of the group stage. As the tournament progressed and the results came in it became increasingly likely that one of the teams would be England.
We decided to have some bar snacks at The Dutch Bar rather than wait till we got to the ground [see Dish of the day].
Thinking that we would struggle to get a tuk tuk at a reasonable price after the game, Robert thought it would be a good idea to change our plans and book a hotel near to the R. Premadasa Stadium. However, when he looked into the options it was going to be more expensive to reduce the number of nights we had booked in central Colombo than to keep the original booking and booked the room for the night close to the ground in addition.
Packing a small overnight bag, we arranged a tuk tuk from our main hotel to the one near the ground. Matilda was a little concerned for her safety when the driver told us he was, in his own words, ‘a country boy’ but he seemed to manage the city traffic with ease.
Once we had checked in for the second time that day, we found we had a good view of the stadium from our room. As breakfast was included with our main booking at the Fairway Colombia Hotel we planned to travel back in time to eat in the morning.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup signage over the road provided a photo opportunity on the ten minute walk to the stadium.
Our tickets specified an area in the ground but seats were unallocated so Robert insisted we went early in order to get a good spot. We were some of the first into the ground.
There were the usual fireworks.
The match itself was really exciting. New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat first and England were chasing 160 to win. Matilda felt it was all over when England were 2 for 2 after the first over of their innings. She could not have been more wrong. In a nail-biting finish, the England pairing of Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks scored 44 runs off 16 balls, with Will Jacks scoring 32 not out off 18 deliveries. Ahmed had earlier claimed a wicket with his first ball in international T20 cricket.
When we got back to our hotel, we had a good view of both the cricket stadium and the Lotus Tower, illuminated on the far left.
Video of the day:
Selfie of the day:
Dish of the day:
Route Map:
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