Sri Lanka's players received a grand welcome on Monday after they landed in Colombo following their Asia Cup triumph.
Dasun Shanaka's team put in a heroic effort to defeat favourites Pakistan in the final of the T20 tournament in Dubai on Sunday.
The title seemed a long way away when Sri Lanka lost badly to Afghanistan in their opening match. But they continued to play an attacking brand of cricket, which took them all the way to the final.
There, they overcame the apparent disadvantage of bowling second — because of dew in the evening — and a horror start — 58 for five — to post a target of 171 before defending it brilliantly through good bowling and exceptional fielding.
Batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who scored an unbeaten 71 in the final, said it was a "great win" for the country amid a severe economic crisis that has engulfed the nation for the best part of 2022.
"A couple of decades back, we had some sort of aggression in our side. And we wanted to create those moments again. I think, as a unit, we are doing that fantastically well at the moment," he said.
"We want to look forward to the World Cup as well and to keep up this momentum. As a nation, I think it's a great win ... with all the crisis happening back home, these are tough times for Sri Lankans. We are glad and hope that we brought some smiles to their faces."
Captain Shanaka said winning the Asia Cup will help the team's preparation for next month's Twenty20 World Cup, for which the team still has to qualify for.
"We played last year's qualifiers as well ... it's the set-up that has come through from three or four years back," Shanaka told reporters.
"The last two years were really good for us and winning Asia Cup will really help for the World Cup. The World Cup qualifiers will help as well because we will play in those conditions before the main tournament happens so it'll be really good for us."
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
