COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cricket board appointed new selectors on Wednesday, a day after its recently sacked members were reinstated.

The local board named former international Upul Tharanga as head of a five-member selection committee for a period of two years.

The first task for selectors will be to pick a squad for a six-match white-ball series against Zimbabwe next month, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement.

Former cricketers Ajantha Mendis, Indika de Saram, Tharanga Paranavitana and Dilruwan Perera are the other selectors.

They will take charge from a panel chaired by former player Pramodya Wickramasinghe.

Sri Lanka’s poor showing in this year’s ODI World Cup in India had been blamed on bad selections by Wickramasinghe’s panel.

SLC, the richest sporting body in the otherwise bankrupt nation, has long been embroiled in allegations of corruption, which culminated in the sacking of the board last month.

That move prompted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend Sri Lanka, accusing authorities of political interference.

On Tuesday, sports minister Harin Fernando revoked the sacking, in a bid to end the suspension.

The ICC is yet to respond to the board’s reinstatement.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2023