Sri Lanka Cricket will now be open to Right to Information requests, Cricket Transformation Committee Chairman Eran Wickramaratne said, marking a shift from the position taken by the previous administration.
Wickramaratne said the former Sri Lanka Cricket administration had maintained that it did not fall under the Right to Information Act and therefore was not required to provide information requested by the public.
He said that approach had now been changed.
“The previous position was that Sri Lanka Cricket was not subject to the RTI Act and therefore did not have to provide information. We have completely changed that,” Wickramaratne said.
He said anyone seeking information about Sri Lanka Cricket would now be able to make such requests, adding that greater transparency was necessary to address concerns surrounding the administration and finances of the sport.
Wickramaratne said many suspicions and allegations surrounding Sri Lanka Cricket had arisen because information was not readily available to the public.
“If the information is available, many of these problems do not arise,” he said.
He added that the transformation process would also examine Sri Lanka Cricket’s financial management, governance structure and whether suitably qualified individuals were serving in the appropriate positions.
Wickramaratne said a new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket had already been prepared following consultations with multiple stakeholders and submitted to the government.
The proposed constitution is expected to be presented to the Cabinet before being taken to Parliament.
He said the reforms were aimed at establishing good governance while ensuring there was no political interference in cricket administration or team selection.
Wickramaratne also said rebuilding Sri Lankan cricket would require reforms from the school level upwards, including improvements to grounds, turf wickets and practice facilities.
He said former Sri Lanka cricketers Kumar Sangakkara, Sidath Wettimuny and Roshan Mahanama were among those contributing to the cricket-related reform process.
Wickramaratne stressed that national team selection would remain entirely with the selectors, without interference from politicians, administrators or the transformation committee.
He also said Sri Lanka needed more Test cricket and that discussions were being initiated to secure additional Test matches in the future.I can also give you a stronger headline set around the RTI reversal angle. (Newswire)