Sri Lanka Cricket’s national selectors will be allowed to operate independently without interference from ministers or cricket administrators, while greater communication with coaches and captains will be expected, Cricket Transformation Committee Chairman Eran Wickramaratne and committee member Kumar Sangakkara said.
Their comments come amid criticism over recent national team selections as well as the composition of the selection panel appointed by the Cricket Transformation Committee.
Questions have been raised over the absence of selectors with recent experience of modern international cricket on the panel, at a time when several international teams have increasingly turned to former players with relatively recent top-level playing or coaching experience for selection roles.
Speaking at the committee’s monthly media briefing, Wickramaratne said neither the sports minister nor members of the Transformation Committee should have any role in deciding who is selected to represent Sri Lanka.
He recalled that Sri Lankan cricket had previously experienced political interference in selection, including an incident where a team selected for an overseas tour was already at Bandaranaike International Airport when a minister intervened to prevent a player from travelling.
“This is a country where such things have happened,” Wickramaratne said, stressing that the selection process must now be completely independent.
Wickramaratne said he had recently begun receiving telephone calls concerning selection decisions but had made it clear that such matters were not for him to influence.
“Neither the minister, nor I, nor anyone on this board can interfere with selection. That is what independence means,” he said.
He said whether individual selections were right or wrong was a separate issue, and people were entitled to have different opinions about the selectors’ decisions.
“If the selectors are not suitable, they can be changed later. That is a different matter. But we must be completely clear about the principle,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sangakkara said the selection committee had been given full independence but was expected to maintain proper communication with the relevant coaches and captains.
He said selectors had been advised, as a matter of policy, to regularly engage with head coach Gary Kirsten and the captains and head coaches of all teams falling within their selection responsibilities.
According to Sangakkara, those discussions should ensure selectors, coaches and captains have a clear understanding of the vision and plans for each team.
Sangakkara was also questioned about why the new selection committee, appointed around four months ago, had yet to publicly explain its approach despite several selections attracting debate.
He said the selectors were expected to hold a media conference after naming the squad for Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of England.
“There will be an opportunity to direct all those questions to them,” Sangakkara said.
He added that providing selectors with an opportunity to meet the media around tours would be beneficial, allowing them to directly answer questions over their decisions, although such briefings may not be possible on every occasion.
The Transformation Committee was also questioned about potential conflicts of interest involving selectors who may have links to private coaching academies.
Sangakkara said the committee could examine such concerns and that selectors would be expected to disclose any conflict of interest and recuse themselves where necessary.
Wickramaratne said the committee remained open to concerns raised by the media and would investigate matters brought to its attention before taking appropriate action. (Newswire)