Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee Chief exposes conspiracies behind cricket

COLOMBO (Daily Mirror) - Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee Pramodya Wickramasinghe pointed fingers at certain individuals vying for power in the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, brokers involved in match-fixing and those attempting to secure spots in the national team as contributors to the challenges faced by Sri Lankan cricket.

In a letter, Wickramasinghe exposed various conspiracies behind the downfall of Sri Lanka Cricket over the past two and a half years.

"I believe that the current plight of Sri Lankan cricket is the result of a multifaceted conspiracy operating at various levels for a long time. The cricket ban imposed on Sri Lanka is a consequence of the same process. Behind these conspiracies, I observe the fulfillment of personal ambitions. However, these parties are skillfully misleading society by pretending to save the game and disseminating relevant facts," he said.

He highlighted social media platforms as the breeding ground for these exposed conspiracies, with the ultimate goal of dismantling the existing cricket administration.

Wickramasinghe noted that conspirators invested significant resources in publishing various analyses and opinions on social media to ensure the success of their schemes.

"The ultimate result of these efforts was to undermine public confidence in the professionalism of the cricket selection committee," Wickramasinghe said.

He accused the Sports Ministry of lacking a firm policy on cricket selections, citing the Minister's objections to including injured players Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chamira in the ICC World Cup 2023 squad, as an example.

He claimed that conspirators employed both official and unofficial measures to undermine the cricket selection committee. 

"The Kusala Sarojini report related to the Australian tour, in particular, made the committee uncomfortable, forcing them to consider players' religious backgrounds alongside merit for the first time in the history of the selection committee," he said.

He expressed concern that the selection committee was compelled to divert attention from players' skills to matters beyond the game's vitality due to these external pressures.