by Rex Clementine

President’s Counsel Dinal Phillips has defended a key provision in the proposed new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket that allows one of the appointed members, rather than an elected representative, to serve as Chairman of the Board. There have been concerns that a former cricketer will not be able to be appointed as Chairman of SLC if the new constitution comes to effect, but Philips said that the country needed to move on with times.

Successive governments have promised sweeping reforms at the cricket board but delivered precious little. The NPP government, however, has taken concrete steps towards overhauling the administration, with a new constitution now in the public domain.

The proposed constitution has been gazetted and will be debated in Parliament, while the Supreme Court will determine whether its provisions are consistent with the laws of the country. Stakeholders will also have an opportunity to challenge provisions they consider contentious.

Once the legal and parliamentary process is completed, the new constitution will come into force, making SLC answerable to Parliament and by extension, to the public.

“The Chairman of the Board will be from among the appointed individuals because there needs to be a great deal of independence on the Board. You are talking about a Rs. 16 billion organisation,” Phillips told reporters at SLC headquarters yesterday.

Phillips has been a prominent figure in cricketing circles in recent years. He represented his Royal College schoolmate Kusal Janith Perera during the legal battle that eventually cleared the batsman following a doping suspension. He is also a former President of Tamil Union, one of SLC’s controlling clubs.

“You have to have people with sound accounting backgrounds, legal expertise, marketing and IT knowledge involved in running your cricket board. All those areas are covered in this structure,” Phillips said.

“The powers will also be vested in the CEO of SLC and he will run the business of the organisation. The Board of Directors will execute policy.”

Phillips, together with fellow legal expert Upul Kumaraperuma, played a key role in drafting the proposed constitution.

“Look at other parts of the world. We don’t want to be left behind; we want to move with the rest of the world. These are serious, long-term steps. We are trustees for 20 million people. We have been asked questions about what is happening to our cricket. We want to raise the bar,” Phillips added.

SLC chief Eran Wickramaratne was also present at the briefing and faced questions over the national team’s disappointing tour of England, where Sri Lanka were whitewashed 3-0 in the T20I series before enduring an inconsistent ODI campaign.

“We want to see the team winning, no doubt about that. But we don’t have concerns about individuals, say, for example, Gary Kirsten. It requires time to build,” Wickramaratne said.

“In 2011, we were ranked number four in Tests, number three in ODIs and number three in T20s. If you look at where we are now, we are towards the lower end; seven, eight or nine.

“That decline has happened over a period of ten to 15 years. You have to be realistic. Any coach who comes in cannot change things overnight. But we are on the right road.”

by Reemus Fernando

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The Sri Lanka Automobile Association in Japan (SLAAJ) awarded a brand-new Honda Vezel to gold medallist Rumesh Tharanga at a felicitation ceremony held for the Sri Lankan team that competed at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

‎The gift was presented at a ceremony, held on the eve of the track and field team’s departure from Nagoya.

Sri Lanka’s team captained by Thranga concluded the track and field campaign on Tuesday.

‎Tharanga’s gold was the solitary medal won by the team.

‎”We decided to reward every Sri Lankan athlete who wins a gold medal with a brand-new vehicle. We invited all Sri Lankan athletes taking part in the Games to the felicitation, and at the time of the event, only Tharanga had won gold,” Nishantha Meegalla, Vice President of the Nagoya Prefecture of the Sri Lanka Business Council of Japan, told The Island.

‎Nishantha said that Tharanga will be able to get his vehical from the Hambantota Port.

‎He said that sea freight charges up to Hambantota port will be taken care of on behalf of Tharanga and it would be incumbent upon the government authorities to decide to waive off any taxes for the newly crowned Asian champion to receive the gift.

‎Tharanga, the world’s top-ranked javelin thrower this season, won Sri Lanka’s first-ever javelin medal at the Asian Games on Monday, sealing the historic victory with a throw of 88.55 metres.

‎With his Asian Games triumph the 23-year-old capped a remarkable season where he claimed multiple global titles including the Diamond League title, Commonwealth Games gold and the Ultimate Championship trophy.

Sri Lanka’s second string side face their biggest test in recent times when they take on a full-strength India in the second men’s cricket semi-final at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin, on Thursday.

Sahan Arachchige will lead Sri Lanka against the reigning T20 world champions, with a place in the gold medal match at stake.

On paper, it is a mismatch. While India have sent their strongest T20I squad to Japan in defence of the gold medal they won at the previous Asian Games, Sri Lanka have opted for a largely second string outfit, with the country’s leading players unavailable for the competition.

Sri Lanka, however, will have little to lose and plenty to gain against an Indian side that received a timely warning from Japan, who came close to pulling off a massive upset at Sano.

Arachchige is no stranger to Asian Games cricket. His only T20 International appearance came at the 2023 Games, when he captained Sri Lanka in their defeat to Afghanistan. He now returns to lead a squad bearing similarities to the one fielded three years ago.

There is nevertheless useful experience in the Sri Lankan ranks. Former Test wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella provides experience at the top of the order, while Chamika Karunaratne adds all-round depth. Nuwanidu Fernando, Ashen Bandara and Lasith Croospulle will be expected to shoulder much of the batting responsibility.

Sri Lanka could also find encouragement in conditions at Korogi Sports Park. Evidence from the group stage suggests a slow surface where stroke making is not straightforward and spinners could have a significant say.

That should bring Dushan Hemantha, Tharindu Ratnayake and Vijaykanth Viyaskanth into the equation, while Binura Fernando and the unorthodox Nuwan Thushara give Sri Lanka different options with the new ball and at the death.

Several days of rain could make the surface even slower and leave the outfield heavy, although the forecast for Thursday is encouraging, with only a small chance of rain.

The weather nevertheless carries an added complication for Sri Lanka. Neither team had to play their quarter-final after rain washed out both matches, with the higher-seeded sides progressing. Should Thursday’s semi-final also be abandoned, India will advance to the final by virtue of their higher seeding.

India also have the advantage of having already experienced the unfamiliar Japanese conditions. Their game against Japan provided valuable match practice and more importantly, a reminder that reputations alone will not win matches on these surfaces.

India endured a difficult period following the World Cup, with Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy beginning with series defeats against Ireland and England. They have since recovered strongly, completing series sweeps against Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.

Jasprit Bumrah is expected to return after being rested against Japan, further strengthening an already formidable attack featuring Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi.

Sri Lanka probable XI: Sahan Arachchige (Captain), Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Lasith Croospulle, Nuwanidu Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushan Hemantha, Tharindu Ratnayake, Binura Fernando, Vijaykanth Viyaskanth and Nuwan Thushara.

India probable XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah.