Sri Lanka’s men’s white-ball captain Kusal Mendis has been appointed inaugural president of the newly launched Sri Lankan Professional Cricketers’ Association, the news agency IANS reported on Saturday.
Women’s captain Chamari Athapaththu and all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga are among the main backers of the body, which has been set up to serve as an independent, collective voice for professional cricketers in the country.
Affiliated to the global players’ body
The SLPCA is directly affiliated with the World Cricketers’ Association, bringing Sri Lankan players into the same global advocacy network as the Australian Cricketers’ Association and England’s Professional Cricketers’ Association.
Unlike earlier attempts at a Sri Lankan player union, the association is led directly by current leading players and, according to the launch statement, places women’s cricket on an equal footing.
Timing tied to the governance overhaul
The launch lands in the middle of a significant administrative reset at Sri Lanka Cricket, which is operating under a government-appointed Transformation Committee and has been working through a draft constitution and governance reforms.
“The formation of the SLPCA comes at a landmark time for Sri Lankan cricket, following a sustained period of positive progress and reform across the sport in the country, including the work of the game’s transformation committee to strengthen governance and modernise the domestic structure,” the association said in a statement.
It added that “having a genuine, organised player voice is another important step toward a modern, collaborative game that is aligned with international best practice.”
Mendis said the association intended to work with the existing administration rather than against it. “We’re proud to have established [the SLPCA] to represent Sri Lanka’s players at this important time, and we look forward to working constructively and collaboratively with Sri Lanka Cricket, the Transformation Committee, and other stakeholders as cricket continues to grow,” he said.
Athapaththu framed it as a continuation of the reform process. “Through the work of the Transformation Committee, we have already seen great progress in Sri Lankan cricket,” she said. “The setting up of the Players’ Association is another important step forward and sees Sri Lankan cricketers join many of our international colleagues in cricket and other sports who already benefit from effective player representation.”
At the time of writing the announcement had been carried by IANS and its wire reprints, and had not yet appeared on Sri Lanka Cricket’s own channels or in local newsrooms.
Source: IANS.
