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SLC suspends all board-run domestic tournaments
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Friday announced that it was suspending all board-run domestic tournaments in the country, a move understood to have stemmed from a dispute surrounding the restructuring of these tournaments.
“Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to immediately halt all board-conducted domestic tournaments,” SLC stated in a media release. “This includes the ongoing Major Club 3-Day Tournament and also the Invitational Club Tier ‘B’ 3-Day Tournament.”
The situation goes back to 2021 when SLC had sought to revamp its domestic structure that critics had long viewed as bloated. The plan, which was recommended by the now-defunct Technical Advisory Committee headed by Aravinda de Silva, had seen a two-tier structure done away with and replaced by two groups of 13 teams.
The idea was that these 26 teams would compete in three-day matches over the course of a season, with the bottom two sides from each group (four in total) relegated for the first two years, with three teams being relegated in the third. This would then leave 15 teams playing in Sri Lanka’s premier domestic tournament, thus addressing complaints over its bloated nature as well as presumably cultivating a culture of higher calibre cricket.
However, a byproduct of the relegation system was that the relegated teams would no longer have a three-day tournament to compete in, instead contesting in the Governor’s Trophy, a limited-overs tournament. This in turn led to several relegated clubs complaining about a lack of cricket both in quantity and quality.
On June 17, following these complaints, SLC, at an Emergency General Meeting, held a vote among its members to reinstate the two-tier system that had been in place prior to 2021. The move was ratified by SLC membership and thus the Major Club three-day Tournament and the Invitational Club Tier B three-day tournament began in June and July 2023 respectively.
In terms of deciding which sides would compete in the new Tier B tournament, SLC decided to include the four relegated teams from 2022, as well as the top six teams from the Governor’s Trophy tournament.
This move however was protested by Gesto Cricket Club (GCC), a team competing and hovering near the bottom of the Governor’s Trophy tournament. While the exact reasoning is unclear, they would take the matter to Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeals, which in August ruled to take up the hearing at a future date until which time the tournaments would be allowed to continue as planned.
GCC, unhappy with this outcome, appealed the decision to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Sports. This appeal would be ratified by Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, following which the Director General of Sports wrote to SLC on August 25 stating that any move to change a tournament’s structure could only happen through a change in the SLC’s constitution. As per Sri Lanka’s Sports Law, any change to SLC’s constitution requires the approval of the sports minister.
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Level III landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended
The landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has extended the Level III RED landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale until 1600hrs on 11th December 2025.
Accordingly,
The LEVEL III RED landslide warnings issued to the the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Kundasale, Pasbage Korale, Medadumbara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Hatharaliyadda, Pathadumbara, Doluwa, Panvila, Gangawata Korale, Ududumbara, Akurana, Yatinuwara, Harispattuwa, Deltota, Thumpane, Poojapitiya, Udapalatha, Udunuwara, Minipe and Pathahewaheta in the Kandy district, Aranayaka, Yatiyanthota, Rambukkana, Bulathkohupitiya and Mawanella in the Kegalle district, Mallawapitiya, Mawathagama and Rideegama in the Kurunegala district, and Rattota, Laggala Pallegama, Ukuwela, Matale, Wilgamuwa, Pallepola, Naula, Yatawatta and Ambanganga Korale in the Matale district have been extended.
LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Hali_Ela, Meegahakivula, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Ella, Haputhale, Lunugala, Welimada, Haldummulla and Passara in the Badulla district, Warakapola, Galigamuwa, Kegalle, Dehiowita, Ruwanwella and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district, Polgahawela and Alawwa in the Kurunegala district, Kothmale East, Walapane, Thalawakele, Nuwara Eliya, Kothmale West, Nildandahinna, Mathurata, Ambagamuwa Korale, Hanguranketha and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district. and Kolonna, Godakawela and Kahawaththa in the Ratnapura district.
LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Divulapitiya, Attanagalla and Mirigama in the Gampaha district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, and Kiriella, Eheliyagoda, Balangoda, Kaltota, Openayake, Nivithigala, Imbulpe, Ayagama, Kuruwita, Kalawana, Elapatha, Pelmadulla and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district.
The handover of 35 tonnes of Russian Humanitarian Aid to Sri Lanka, recently affected by the cyclone «Ditwah», took place at Katunayake today (10th December)
The shipment was welcomed at the Katunayake airport by Ambassador of Russia Levan Dzhagaryan, Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilaka and Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd).
Ambassador Levan Dzhagaryan: said “This delivery is a reflection of long-term friendly relations between Russia and Sri Lanka and reaffirms Moscow’s commitment to support countries in a difficult humanitarian situation.”
The supplies brought by the EMERCOM (Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations) aircraft comprised a movable 60 kW electric power station, Pumping equipment for water drainage, Summer tents (10-person capacity) and Food supplies (sugar, vegetable oil, rice)
The total cargo weight is 35 metric tonnes. The aid will be distributed among the most affected regions.
Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee has named a 15-member squad to participate in the upcoming ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup (50 Over).
The team will depart for the United Arab Emirates today [0 December 2025] and has been placed in Group B, alongside Nepal, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.
Level III landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended
“We cannot allow flooding to become a part of the daily lives of the people in the Colombo District” – PM
Russia gifts 35 tonnes of Humanitarian Aid to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka squad named for ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup
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