• Optimistic cricket could see better future 

Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage on Wednesday (29) said a so-called ‘Cricket Transformation Committee’ (CTC) has been formed to revive the sport and steer it toward a brighter future.

However, he failed to clarify whether the move orchestrated by the incumbent NPP Government had the blessings of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“We want to take this game from where it is now to a totally different and better place,” Gamage told reporters, soon after handing over the appointment letters to a few members of the new CTC at the Sports Ministry premises. 

The Minister said the new body has been appointed under the Sports Act to oversee cricket administration and introduce long overdue reforms.

The Minister clarified that the new body is not merely an "interim committee" in the true sense of the word, but is specifically tagged as the "Cricket Transformation Committee." 

Minister Gamage said the main goal of the committee is to rebuild Sri Lankan cricket, meet public expectations and form a winning team in a short time. 

The Minister said that the CTC will manage all administrative and operational functions until a fresh election can be held.

The Dubai-based sport’s global ruling body has a zero-tolerance policy linked to State intervention in cricket administration, with the island-nation inviting a suspension of its membership only three years ago.

This was following former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe using his statutory powers to sack the then Shammi Silva-led SLC Ex-Co.

Afterwards Silva successfully filed legal action to be reinstated only for Ranasinghe to ultimately pay with his Parliamentary seat having publicly fallen out with then President Ranil Wickramasinghe.

But, Sri Lanka paid a much bigger price over the drama, being stripped of ICC funding, while forcing the world body to relocate that year’s Under-19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa.