Sri Lankan cricket will undergo a big revamp in the near future, with a major shake-up in the selection committee. Pramodya Wickramasinghe, the head of the selection committee, is expected to be fired after an abject white-ball tour of India earlier this month.
It wasn’t long ago that the Lankan Lions erupted on the world scene, beating Pakistan to win the Asia Cup in Dubai last September. However, things have deteriorated since then, with the Islanders underperforming in the T20 World Cup in Australia.
While a dismal T20 World Cup campaign sparked worries about the players’ consistency, the recently finished white-ball tour of neighbouring India reinforced their difficulties. The Indians’ ODI whitewash sounded alarm bells in the Sri Lankan camp, but Pramodya Wickramasinghe has countered with the team’s accomplishments since his arrival.
“We now sit third in the ICC Test Championship points standings. The Asia Cup was the country’s first major trophy in eight years, and it gained direct qualifying to the T20 World Cup in 2024. We won the ODI series against Australia. Aren’t they the outcomes of our work over the previous 18 months?” Wickramasinghe defended himself earlier this month in an interview with the Sri Lankan daily the Sunday Times.
The National Sports Selection Group (NSSC), a seven-member committee led by Sri Lanka’s Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva, will make the ultimate decision on the selection committee. The organisation was tasked with providing final permission for sports selection in the nation. The NSSC will make the final judgement during their meeting on Monday, January 30.
