Sri Lanka appoints new cricket selectors

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

For two years, the local board named former international Upul Tharanga as head of a five-member selection committee.

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 said in a statement.

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

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.

Sri Lanka Cricket has long been embroiled in allegations of corruption, culminating in the board’s sacking 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 to end the suspension.

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