SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS
Complied by Victor Melder
(FEBRUARY 2023)
The Department of Sports Development (DSD) has decided to call for nominations through a newspaper advertisement for the 2023 Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee. This followed a high-level discussion led by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe with the participation of officials of the National Sports Council and the National Sports Selection Committee (NSSC) on Monday. The newspaper notice inviting nominations to the Cricket Selection Committee will be published in the next few days, Amal Edirisooriya, Director General of DSD told the ‘Daily Mirror’. Since there are issues with regard to cricket selections, NSSC Chairman General Shavendra Silva and NSSC member Sanath Jayasuriya said that henceforth there should be transparency in the appointment of the Cricket Selection Committee. Under the previous system, the executive committee nominated 10 names to the Sports Minister out of which five or seven members were appointed to the selection committee. In future, anyone who has played cricket can apply to be a member of the Cricket Selection Committee. Under the existing system, since members to selection committee were appointed on the basis of being friends with executive committee members, it has been brought to the notice of the Sports Ministry that there was no transparency when it came to national team selections. Although the DSD has called for nominations, the interviews will be conducted by a special committee chaired by the Chairman of the NSSC, DSD Director General Amal Edirisuriya added. Starting with cricket, the Ministry of Sports hopes to implement this system for other sports as well. (Daily Mirror. 1.2.2023)
Sri Lanka Cricket says it made a gigantic profit of Rs.6.3 billion in 2022, the highest earning in its entire history. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the amount was a three-fold increase compared to what it made in 2021 which stood at Rs.2.1 billion. According to SLC the income was generated mainly from international cricket, domestic cricket, sponsorship contracts and the annual International Cricket Council (ICC) annual member disbursements. It said stadium management and administration grants for district and provincial associations and member clubs totalled Rs. 599 million during 2022. SLC also claimed they had doled out Rs.900 million for the country’s health sector and over Rs. 278 million to the National Sports Fund while a further Rs. 25 million was paid to renovate the Gangarama Rajamaha Vihara in Kandy. (Sunday Observer, 26.2.2023)
The Sri Lankan cricket team left Katunayake airport for New Zealand this morning to play two test matches, three One-day Internationals and three T-20 matches during this tour. A 29-member tour party comprising 17 players and 12 officials flew out from the BIA to New Zealand. The team will play two test matches, three ODIs and three T20s in this tour. (Daily Mirror, 27.2.2023)
