Conflicting accounts have emerged over who finalised Sri Lanka’s squads for the upcoming tour of the West Indies, exposing fresh friction between the national team’s new and former selection committees.
New selection committee chairman Kapila Wijegunawardena has said his panel had “no input” in choosing the touring squads, insisting they were selected entirely by the previous committee led by Pramodya Wickramasinghe. Speaking to The Morning Sports, Wijegunawardena noted that his committee officially began its duties only on May 22. “The Men’s squads for the tour of the Caribbean had been picked by the previous committee,” he was quoted as saying.
Wickramasinghe has disputed that account. The former chairman alleged that the new panel made changes to the squads his committee had originally chosen, claiming the new selectors expanded the parties and made several alterations after he had picked separate groups for the Test, ODI and T20I series. He also said his committee had identified a different vice-captain for the ODI squad, a decision he claimed was later changed.
Wickramasinghe further questioned several inclusions in the touring squads and alleged that “player-manager influence” had returned to the national selection process following the appointment of the new committee.
The exchange is the latest flashpoint in an unsettled period for Sri Lanka Cricket. SLC announced the new five-member selection committee on May 21, prompting Wickramasinghe to seek written clarification over the early end to his two-year contract. The reshuffle has unfolded alongside the SLC Transformation Committee’s forensic audit of governance irregularities. The squads themselves were announced across all three formats for the Caribbean tour.
