By Revatha S. Silva and Gayashan Withanarachchi
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Saturday (28) announced that its membership had unanimously ratified a new domestic tournament structure, which had been designed by the SLC Tournament Committee headed by Samantha Dodanwela, in consultation with its Technical Advisory Committee, under Aravinda de Silva.
The decision had been taken at an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of its membership on Saturday.
What is the existing structure:
There are 26 cricket clubs currently having the first-class cricket status. Though they are divided as Tier ‘A’ and Tier ‘B’, all those 26 club have the first-class status. (See boxed details to compare Sri Lanka’s number of first-class clubs with those of the other Test-playing countries)
What are the 26 first-class clubs at present in Sri Lanka:
1. Colombo Cricket Club (CCC), 2. Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC), 3. Chilaw Marians Cricket Club, 4. Ragama Cricket Club, 5. Colts Cricket Club, 6. Army Sports Club, 7. Saracens Sports Club, 8. Burgher Recreational Club (BRC), 9. Negombo Cricket Club, 10. Tamil Union Cricket & Athletic Club, 11. Moors Sports Club, 12. Singhalese Sports Club (SSC), 13. Lankan Cricket Club, 14. Badureliya Cricket Club, 15. Police Sports Club, 16. Sri Lanka Ports Authority Cricket Club, 17. Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club, 18. Kandy Customs Cricket Club, 19. Panadura Sports Club, 20. Galle Cricket Club, 21. Nugegoda Sports Welfare Club, 22. Sebastianites Cricket & Athletic Club, 23. Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club, 24. Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club, 25. Sri Lanka Air Force Sports Club, and 26. Kalutara Town Club
The main query of the critics of status quo:
The number domestic cricket clubs with the first-class status should be reduced to a minimal level, from its current 26. Too many clubs affects the quality of the tournament and fail to produce players who are suitable to compete at the international level.
SLC maintains 26 first-class clubs from its 146-member stakeholders mainly to keep them satisfied so as to win their votes at the biennial SLC elections, they argue.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s main justification:
By expanding the number of first-class clubs, a lot of players can get first-class qualification for their own career benefit. The present number (26) has come about not overnight, but as a gradual process through 10-12 years, under different set of administrators.
Who designed the new structure introduced on Saturday (28):
The Tournament Committee of SLC, headed by Samantha Dodanwela, in consultation with the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), led by Aravinda de Silva. The other members of the TAC are Muttiah Muralitharan, Roshan Mahanama, and Kumar Sangakkara.
Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa and his National Sports Council (NSC) had contributed to it immensely. The NSC is headed by Mahela Jayawardene. Sangakkara is one of its members too.
Was the new structure approved by the SLC member clubs:
Yes. The SLC membership unanimously ratified the new domestic structure during an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on 28 August, Saturday
How does the previous structure operate:
SLC Major Clubs League had two divisions, Tier A and Tier B: 14 teams in Tier A and 12 teams in Tier B. The first-class three-day tournament was held separately for Tier A and B whilst the Premier Limited-over Tournament (50-over) was held for all 26 clubs together.
When will the new structure come into effect:
The new structure will come into effect from the upcoming 2021/2022 season, now delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.
How will the new structure operate:
Under the new format, all the 26 teams with first-class status will be divided into two groups of 13 teams. When the Govt. health authorities give SLC green light, the clubs will be engaged in their three-day cricket in the Major Clubs League Tournament and 50-over cricket in the Major Clubs Limited-over Tournament concurrently. Each team will play 12 three-day matches and 12 limited-over games.
How will four teams be relegated for next year:
The lowest ranked two teams from each group in the next Major Clubs League Tournament will be relegated to another lower-grade tournament, named the Governor’s Trophy, from next season.
The top-ranked teams from each group will then play in a one-off four-day final to determine the domestic cricket champions of the season.
In the Major Limited-over Tournament, the top two-ranked teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals directly.
When will the number come to 15:
Likewise, the number of first-class clubs will go down from 26 to 22 by next year (2022), and from 22 to 18 by 2023.
In 2023, SLC plans to relegate only three clubs. Then, by the year 2024, the number of first-class clubs in Sri Lanka is expected to come down to 15.
Then what is the ‘National Super League’ (NSL):
SLC Tournament Committee plans to complete the two tournaments, the Major Clubs League and Major Clubs Limited-over Tournament, by January 2022.
Then they will hold ‘the National Super League’ (NSL). That will be a more competitive five-team competition.
The five teams will be: Colombo, Dambulla, Galle, Jaffna, and Kandy. This is expected to be the highest-level domestic cricket tournament in Sri Lanka from next year (2022) onwards.
How do players qualify for NSL:
Upon their performances in the Major Clubs League and Major Clubs Limited-over Tournament. The NSL is expected to be played as a four-day first-class event as well as a 50-over event in January, February, and March next year.
What is the new SLC Emerging Tournament:
There will be another new entry into the domestic competitions from next year: the SLC Emerging Tournament.
It will be played simultaneously with other events with the participation of the 22 teams next year. The four relegated teams will not take part in it.
In the SLC Emerging Tournament, each club will have to field nine Under-23 players along with two Over-23 players within their playing eleven for each game.