Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage has urged patience over Sri Lanka’s continued cricket defeats, saying the country needs time to develop players capable of winning international matches.
Responding to questions from journalists about Sri Lanka’s poor performances, the minister said administrative reforms alone would not guarantee victories without developing talented cricketers.
“We are introducing reforms and doing many things, but to win matches, we need to develop players. When we don’t have the players, we lose matches,” he said.
The minister said the government had already initiated efforts to develop cricketers from the grassroots level, but stressed that results could not be expected immediately.
He revealed that a Cricket Transformation Committee had been appointed and that new legislation was being prepared to restructure cricket administration.
According to Gamage, the proposed legislation would be presented to Parliament, paving the way for changes to the existing administrative structure and the appointment of a new governing body.
He said the objective was to establish a system capable of developing competitive players and helping Sri Lanka return to winning ways.
The minister also acknowledged that other cricket-playing nations were continuously improving, making it essential for Sri Lanka to develop players capable of competing at the highest level.
His remarks come amid growing criticism of Sri Lanka’s performances following another T20 series defeat to Pakistan. (Newswire)