Former Sports Ministers Harin Fernando and Dayasiri Jayasekara have challenged the legality of the new Sri Lanka Cricket selection committee announced on May 22, alleging the appointment process was not properly followed and that no nominations were called.
Fernando said the Cricket Transformation Committee’s first significant action — changing the selectors — was carried out without due process. He questioned whether the newly appointed panel, drawn from players of the 1980s, has sufficient understanding of modern cricket including first-class standards, social media pressure and commercial environments. “At a time when even India has appointed young former cricketers to selection committees, we have now appointed players who played in the 1980s,” he said.
Fernando warned the move risked further politicising cricket and said the expected transformation should focus on governance reform rather than selection interference. During his own tenure as minister, he noted, Upul Tharanga was appointed selection chair specifically to bring in a younger perspective.
Jayasekara said Sri Lanka now effectively has two simultaneous selection committees — the new panel headed by Kapila Wijegunawardena (with Brendon Kuruppu and Amal Silva) alongside the previous panel headed by Pramodya Wickramasinghe. Wickramasinghe, who was not officially notified of his removal, has sought written clarification from SLC.
The previous selectors — Wickramasinghe, Indika de Saram, Tharanga Paranavitana, Vinothen John and Rasanjali de Alwis — were appointed in December 2025. SLC is currently under the oversight of Eran Wickramaratne’s Transformation Committee, which also announced a forensic audit had uncovered irregularities far greater than initially feared.
Sources: Newswire.
