Under the proposed new Sri Lanka Cricket Act, measures are being taken to strip the Sports Minister of the authority to directly appoint members of the national cricket selection committees and to transfer that responsibility to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
This new bill, gazetted last week, vests the power to appoint national men’s and women’s selection committees in the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
This marks a significant departure from the long-standing practice where the Sports Minister appointed selection committees from a list of nominees submitted by Sri Lanka Cricket. Consequently, direct government intervention in the appointment of officials responsible for selecting national teams will be completely eliminated.
However, although the Minister loses these powers, the Act does not explicitly state that the members of the selection committees will operate independently of the Cricket Board. Under Section 21(4), the Executive Committee holds the authority to appoint individuals to any committee or sub-committee; Section 21(5) stipulates that such appointees must possess good character and conduct, as well as the requisite experience and skills.
Furthermore, provision is made for individuals who are neither directors nor employees of SLC to serve on these committees. Section 21(3) seeks to prevent the same individuals from remaining in administrative positions for extended periods by imposing a maximum tenure of eight years.
Since the written terms governing the powers, responsibilities, and composition of committees are subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, the functioning of selection committees could be significantly influenced by that body. However, under Section 21(10), while the SLC President and Chief Executive Officer may attend selection committee meetings, they do not possess voting rights.
The specific procedure for appointing selection committees is to be determined by regulations to be formulated in the future. Although this eliminates political interference, a new debate has emerged regarding the extent to which the selection committee members—appointed by the governing body—remain independent of that very body.
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