Kumar Sangakkara added to Sri Lanka Cricket’s Transformation Committee

Legendary cricketer Kumar Sangakkara has been instated to the Transformation Committee at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) after the central government in the country signed a termination of the existing office-bearers in a major development on Wednesday, April 29. The same day, SLC President Shammi Silva had resigned from his post, following which the Executive Committee members also resigned, as confirmed by SLC in an official release.

The chairman of the newly formed Transformation Committee, Eran Wickramratne, confirmed the onboarding of Sangakkara as one of the cricketers alongside Roshan Mahanama and Sidath Wettimuny. Wickramratne, also a former Member of Parliament, said that the primary goal of the committee is to ensure the drafting of a constitution, which will help SLC run in a better manner independently.

“I am privileged to lead a nine-member committee of individuals with impeccable integrity and expertise. Our immediate priority is a total overhaul of the governance framework at SLC. The cornerstone of this effort will be the implementation of the new constitution, ensuring it serves as a robust, modern foundation for the sport,” Wickramaratne said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

The existing SLC constitution has faced intense criticism for years for being outdated and often counterproductive. It is accused of granting excessive power to underperforming and, at times, even non-existent cricketing bodies. It is also alleged to have enabled widespread corruption, mismanagement, and inefficiency. The inclusion of Dinal Phillips and Upul Kumarapperuma, the two lawyers on the committee, indicates that drafting a new constitution is likely to be one of the committee’s key responsibilities.

After framing the new governing methods for the cricket board, the committee has also planned to lay a roadmap of increasing the opportunities for the Sri Lankan national teams through a betterment of cricketing infrastructure and provision of world-class facilities, ensuring readiness to compete at the highest level.

“We will focus on establishing the structures, world-class facilities, and incentive models necessary to empower our national teams. Our goal is to enable our players to consistently deliver world-class performances and elevate Sri Lanka back to the top tier of international rankings,” he explained.

Composition of SLC’s Transformation Committee

Eran Wickramaratne (politics/corporate), Roshan Mahanama (cricket/corporate), Kumar Sangakkara (cricket/business), Sidath Wettimuny (cricket/corporate), Prakash Schaffter (corporate/cricket), Avanthi Colombage (corporate), Thushira Radella (corporate), Upul Kumarapperuma (law/politics), and Dinal Phillips (law).