New domestic tournament formatAravinda de Silva shared the thinking of his committee regarding the premier domestic tournament format. The 26 teams will play a three-day tournament (1st Class) followed by a four-day provincial tournament and national call-ups would be based on provincial level performance. Provincial cricket has never taken root in Sri Lanka for the simple reason that Sri Lankans rarely identify themselves in the provincial context. Considering that reality, Cricket Committee’s insistence on changing Sri Lanka’s cricket nomenclature is baffling. A hybrid format will serve the same purposeCricket Committee’s desire to strengthen Sri Lanka’s domestic tournament format can be achieved without generating hostility from SLC’s membership and creating more institutional instability by tweaking the existing club format.

Source: The Nation April 12, 2021 19:10 UTC