Sri Lanka Cricket‘s proposed governance overhaul has reached another significant milestone after the draft of a new constitution was formally submitted to the country’s Sports Minister, marking the latest step in a reform process designed to reshape the administration of the game.
According to a report by Cricinfo, the draft constitution has now been handed over for the next stage of the legislative process, although it must still pass several legal and parliamentary approvals before it can become law.
The submission follows months of work by Sri Lanka Cricket’s Transformation Committee, which has been tasked with modernising the board’s governance while also introducing structural changes aimed at strengthening the sport both on and off the field.
New governance model proposed
One of the centrepieces of the draft constitution is a proposal to replace the current governance structure with a 14-member Board comprising seven appointed directors and seven elected representatives.
Under the proposed model, the appointed directors would be selected by representatives from nominated professional bodies and a ministry representative, with specific expertise required across areas including finance, law, information technology, marketing and cricket. Those appointed members would also rotate annually while remaining eligible to serve up to two four-year terms.
Meanwhile, the voting body responsible for electing the remaining directors would be reduced further after previously being trimmed in 2024, with the proposed constitution lowering the number of eligible voting members to 39.
Speaking during a media briefing, Sidath Wettimuny, Former Sri Lanka Batter and Transformation Committee member, said the governance framework had been designed to ensure greater independence at board level. “But the chairman will always be from the appointed committee members, not from the elected office. So he’ll be totally independent,” he added.
Constitutional process still has several stages
Before the constitution can take effect, it must undergo legal scrutiny by Sri Lanka’s Attorney General and the Legal Draftsman’s Department before being translated, submitted to Cabinet and then presented to Parliament.
Following its first reading, there will be a period during which legal challenges can be lodged before the legislation proceeds to its remaining parliamentary stages if approved.
As previously reported by cricexec, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake recently met with the Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee to review progress on the wider governance overhaul, with constitutional reform remaining central to efforts to modernise the board and restore an elected administration.
Wider reforms extend beyond governance
Alongside the constitutional changes, the Transformation Committee is also pursuing a broader programme intended to improve cricket development across Sri Lanka.
Among the priorities are raising coaching standards, strengthening umpire education, improving pitch preparation across all levels of the game and introducing iHawk, a pitch data and analytics system already used in English county cricket.
Wettimuny also highlighted the contribution being made by former Sri Lanka captains Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara, particularly in supporting the development of women’s cricket and player welfare.
“We are doing a lot vis-a-vis women’s cricket because women’s cricket, as you can see, is growing very fast. But there are many aspects of that game which we are also finding our way, like the disciplinary side, the management side, the protection side. Roshan does a lot of work trying to find out from other countries what they do for player protection and nurturing them as being good players. So we are lucky we have Roshan and Kumar,” he stated.
Coaching and high-performance remain key priorities
The committee is also seeking to strengthen Sri Lanka’s coaching framework, with discussions underway over bringing high-performance coach and coach developer Ashley Ross into the programme.
Wettimuny said improving coaching knowledge across the country forms part of a longer-term strategy to raise standards throughout the domestic pathway.
“We are working on a two-year programme and I’m hoping that that will materialise soon because that’s one of the key areas as far as I’m concerned where we are really falling short. No fault of anybody, don’t get me wrong, [but] because of the cricket boom that took place, we were not in a position to keep pace with our coaching skills,” he continued.
He added: “By coaching skills, I’m not just meaning a certification. It’s that overall knowledge where you know how to discuss with a student why he is doing something, why he shouldn’t do something, etc. So we are very keen and very excited if Ashley Ross comes in.”
Those efforts follow a recent visit by sports physiotherapist Alex Kountouris, who assessed Sri Lanka Cricket’s strength and conditioning systems and is expected to continue working with the organisation periodically.
Focus on player pathway and infrastructure
The Transformation Committee is also planning structural improvements to umpiring and ground preparation through the appointment of specialist managers and coaches responsible for supporting officials and curators from the international game down to schools and clubs.
Player development is another area under review, with discussions taking place over replacing the current Under-23 domestic competition with an Under-21 tournament to create a clearer pathway from youth cricket into the senior game.
Wettimuny believes the proposed change would allow promising players to be monitored more closely during a crucial stage of their development.
“If we bring [in an] Under-21 tournament, players can actually play through and then we’ll find we can nurture those players from 18 to 21, keeping an eye on them from SLC. So that’s something which is in discussion,” he concluded.
