by Rex Clementine

The Cricket Transformation Committee headed by Eran Wickramaratne has received much praise for the manner in which it has gone about its business since being put in charge earlier this year. While bringing transparency and accountability to the affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket, an institution criticised for years over corruption and waste, the committee has also kept its eye on its primary task: drafting a new constitution for the administration of the game.

While most aspects have moved along smoothly, one area has seriously lagged behind; selection.

Selection is one of the most important cogs in the wheel of any cricket administration. The administrators may be doing wonders, but if those entrusted with picking teams do not live up to expectations, the whole machinery can come crashing down.

It is a little like the Yahapalana government that Eran himself was part of. It came in with good intentions, promising transparency, accountability and the wellbeing of the public. But the moment Arjun Mahendran was chosen to head the Central Bank, things began to unravel spectacularly. Is the same fate awaiting Eran’s cricket committee because of its selectors ?

Sadly, the harsh lessons from the West Indies appear not to have been learnt.

Although the Sri Lankan squad for the Test against India later this week has already assembled in Galle, the selectors are yet to announce the team to the public. We know, of course, that squads require the Sports Minister’s approval before they can be released. But some selectors have perfected the art of seeking approval at the eleventh hour, thereby conveniently escaping public scrutiny before a series begins.

Kapila Wijegunawardene surprised many when he picked Niroshan Dickwella in the Sri Lanka ‘A’ squad to face India in June. At a time when India were blooding 15-year-old wonderkids, our selectors were falling back on players in the twilight of their careers for an ‘A’ team. It was hardly evidence of forward planning. More worryingly, it gave the impression that the selectors were completely out of touch.

Being out of touch is one thing. Remaining so by choice is quite another.

If you have been away from the system for some time, there is no shame in consultation. Speak to those who have been around. Ask the coaches. Talk to recently retired players. Seek the views of people who watch domestic cricket week in, week out. Humility is no weakness when you are entrusted with shaping the future of the national team.

The manner in Dickwella has now been parachuted into the Test squad sends all the wrong signals.

Let us not forget why he was dropped in the first place. His wicketkeeping had become sloppy. Costly errors during the tour of New Zealand in 2023 contributed to him losing his place. Now, three years later, he finds himself back in the fold without having accomplished anything substantial enough to demand a recall.

The fact that Dickwella is 33 only strengthens the impression that Sri Lanka are moving backwards rather than forwards.

His selection becomes even harder to understand when you consider that the selectors did not play him in the warm-up game. The other contender, young Anjala Bandara, has been scoring heavily and was given an opportunity in the warm-up match. He failed there and was promptly discarded. That is hardly fair selection.

Bandara is 22 and certainly one for the future. Given the promise he has shown so early in his career, surely the sensible approach is to back him rather than punish him for one failure. That too at the expense of Dickwella. One problem that Sri Lanka’s batters have is that they are unable to bat for long hours. Bandara has shown that he has the patience to see off a couple of sessions.

Then there is Sadeera Samarawickrama. He kept wickets for Sri Lanka before the selectors handed the gloves to Kusal Mendis in order to balance the side. Sadeera hardly disgraced himself when he played Test cricket for Sri Lanka. If the selectors believe Bandara is too raw, would not Sadeera be the more logical choice?

There seems to be precious little logic in the selectors’ thinking. As Kumar Sangakkara once observed, like God, selectors move in mysterious ways.

There are also two prolific young batters knocking on the door in Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Pavan Rathnayake. The time is ripe for one of them to become part of the Test set-up. Why not play one as a batter when there are several wicketkeeping options already in the squad; Kamil Mishara, Nishan Madushka and Dinesh Chandimal?

And please spare us the excuse that none of them keeps wickets regularly for his club. This is a temporary arrangement until Kusal Mendis returns, not a ten year succession plan.

As for Dickwella, we have seen the full package over the years. He has played 54 Tests and there are claims that he remains the best wicketkeeper in the country. Some of us remain unconvinced.

A man who once carried that title with considerable distinction was Prasanna Jayawardene. He was a far superior wicketkeeper and into the bargain, scored four Test hundreds. Dickwella has none.

That is not because Dickwella lacks the skill to make big scores. Far from it. He possesses an abundance of talent. What has too often been missing is discipline. His attitude towards building an innings has repeatedly let him down.

Too often he has thrown away promising starts, harming both himself and the team. Successive selection committees persevered with him in the hope that he would eventually make the most of his considerable talent. That promise remained unfulfilled.

There have also been concerns about his influence within the team environment. Those who doubt that can consult team manager Mahinda Halangoda and draw their own conclusions. Then there was the suspension he received following a positive cocaine test in 2024.

Against that background, it is difficult to understand what exactly the selectors are trying to achieve by returning to Dickwella.

Sri Lankan cricket is supposed to be undergoing transformation. Transformation means looking ahead, identifying the next generation and giving talented young players the confidence that performances in domestic cricket will be rewarded.

It does not mean reaching into the cupboard and pulling out an option that has already been tried 54 times.

Eran Wickramaratne and his committee have done much to earn goodwill since taking charge. They should be careful that poor selection does not squander it. The Yahapalana government learnt the hard way that one disastrous appointment can undo a mountain of good intentions.

With friends like Kapila, Eran doesn’t need enemies.