Former Sri Lankan cricketer and President of Matara Sports Club, Pramodya Wickramasinghe, has addressed concerns over the proposed Matara International Cricket Training School and Stadium, stating that the project has been misrepresented.
He explained that the initiative is not an international stadium, but a High-Performance Center (HPC) aimed at developing young cricketers in the Southern Province. The move aligns with Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) vision of establishing first-class cricket grounds in every district and HPCs in every province.
Full Statement
𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫
Recent discussions regarding the proposed Matara International Cricket Training School and Stadium have sparked various opinions, including concerns raised by former cricketer Roshan Mahanama. As someone deeply involved in cricket development in the Southern Province, I, Pramodya Wickramasinghe, would like to clarify the true purpose and objectives of this initiative.
Matara has historically been a breeding ground for talented cricketers, producing national-level players over the years. However, in recent times, the region’s contribution to the national cricketing pipeline has declined. One of the major reasons for this is the lack of a dedicated, well-maintained cricket facility that can support the continuous development of young players. The Uyanwatte Stadium, the main cricketing venue in Matara, is a multi-purpose ground used for various sports, making it difficult to maintain the turf at the standard required for first-class cricket. 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐃𝐂𝐀) 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞.
As the President of the Matara Sports Club, I became acutely aware of these challenges and the urgent need to address them. Coincidentally, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had been exploring the establishment of High-Performance Centers (HPC) in every province to enhance cricketing infrastructure across the country. 𝐒𝐋𝐂’𝐬 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐏𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞. Therefore, this development will cover both requirements for the district of Matara and the Southern Province. Given that Galle International Stadium faces restrictions due to UNESCO heritage site regulations and the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Hambantota is situated far from Colombo, I proposed that Matara be considered as the location for the Southern Province’s High-Performance Center.
To facilitate this initiative, I brought the matter to the attention of Hon. Sunil Handunneththi, who is the President of the Matara District Development Committee, a suitable land was allocated for the project. However, certain individuals within the cricketing fraternity, in an apparent attempt to claim undue credit, misrepresented this initiative as the construction of an international cricket stadium. This misinformation has unfortunately led to unwarranted criticism from personalities such as Roshan Mahanama, who may not have been fully informed of the project’s actual scope and intent.
It is essential to emphasize that this is not a venture aimed at building an extravagant stadium but rather an initiative to develop a structured, high-performance facility that will serve as a training and development hub for young cricketers in the Southern Province. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. By establishing such centers across the country, SLC aims to provide equal opportunities for aspiring cricketers, allowing them to hone their skills without having to relocate to Colombo or other major cities. Additionally, this development will enable schools and clubs of the Southern Province to access top-tier training facilities that were previously unavailable. It will also allow Sri Lanka A team matches and other second-tier fixtures to be hosted in Matara, further enhancing the region’s cricketing significance.
𝐅𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐈𝐓, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡 & 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬. The objective is to produce well-rounded, high-performing cricketers who can contribute to the national system at various levels.
I urge all stakeholders, including former cricketers and the public, to understand the genuine need for this project and the positive impact it will have on cricket development in the region. Constructive dialogue based on facts rather than misinformation will ensure that Sri Lanka’s cricketing future is strengthened through well-planned and well-executed initiatives.
Let us work together towards the true development of our cricketing infrastructure, focusing on the future of our young talent rather than being swayed by misconceptions.
𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐚 𝐖𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐞
𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫/ 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭
𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛