Sri Lanka Cricket submits draft constitution to Sports Minister, unveils major reform plans

Sri Lanka Cricket's Transformation Committee has revealed that a new constitution has been drafted and submitted to the country's sports minister, marking a significant step towards improving the governance of the game. However, the proposed constitution must still go through the necessary legal process before it can be enacted.

The committee has been working to strengthen Sri Lanka Cricket's overall governance structure while also focusing on the long-term development of the sport. Former Sri Lanka batter Sidath Wettimuny said several initiatives have already been implemented to improve cricket on the field. These include enhancing umpiring standards, strengthening coaching programmes, improving pitch curation, and introducing iHawk, an automated pitch data tracking technology.

Wettimuny also highlighted the involvement of former Sri Lanka captains Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara in the transformation process. According to him, both have been actively contributing to the development of men's and women's cricket, helping shape strategies aimed at improving standards and ensuring sustainable success for Sri Lankan cricket in the years ahead.

"We are doing a lot vis-a-vis women's cricket because women's cricket, as you can see, is growing very fast. But there are many aspects of that game which we are also finding our way, like the disciplinary side, the management side, the protection side. Roshan does a lot of work trying to find out from other countries what they do for player protection and nurturing them as being good players. So we are lucky we have Roshan and Kumar,” said Wettimuny as quoted by Cricinfo.

Wettimuny further revealed that discussions are underway to appoint renowned high-performance coach and coach developer Ashley Ross as part of Sri Lanka Cricket's transformation plans.

He added that the committee is also working closely with experienced sports physiotherapist Alex Kountouris, who recently visited Sri Lanka to assess the board's strength and conditioning programmes, training methods, and overall high-performance practices. His recommendations are expected to play a key role in enhancing player development and improving the country's cricketing infrastructure.

"We are working on a two-year programme and I'm hoping that that will materialise soon because that's one of the key areas as far as I'm concerned where we are really falling short. No fault of anybody, don't get me wrong, [but] because of the cricket boom that took place, we were not in a position to keep pace with our coaching skills,” said Wettimuny.

"By coaching skills, I'm not just meaning a certification. It's that overall knowledge where you know how to discuss with a student why he is doing something, why he shouldn't do something, etc. So we are very keen and very excited if Ashley Ross comes in,” he added.

Sri Lanka Cricket also plans to appoint two umpiring coaches to support the development of officials across all levels, from first-class cricket to the school system, along with an umpire manager to oversee the programme. In addition, the board is looking to introduce a centralised structure for pitch preparation by appointing a head curator responsible for supervising all international cricket venues across the country.

The Transformation Committee is also focusing on age-group cricket, with plans to revamp the domestic pathway. One of the proposed changes includes replacing the existing Under-23 domestic competition with an Under-21 tournament, a move aimed at accelerating player development and creating a more effective transition from youth cricket to the senior level.

"They will [also] go into club grounds, school grounds, and we will support even the schools if they need help. If we bring [in an] Under-21 tournament, players can actually play through and then we'll find we can nurture those players from 18 to 21, keeping an eye on them from SLC. So that's something which is in discussion,” said Wettimuny.