Sooriyawewa to get new lease of life

Sri Lanka Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala and members of the Executive Committee yesterday undertook an inspection of the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium (MRICS) in Sooriyawewa, Hambantota. 

The stadium, which had fallen into a state of disrepair, is to be renovated ahead of the Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka at the end of June this year, and will host three of five One Day International matches of the tour.

A comprehensive assessment of the stadium and its facilities was undertaken by Design Consultants Ltd, whose report was presented to the Executive Committee of SLC. In careful consideration of the contents therein, SLC has decided to invest in the renovation of MRICS with a view to utilise the venue as a provincial centre hosting school and domestic matches for the remainder of the year.

The remoteness of MRICS has resulted in teams declining the use of the stadium regularly and MRICS currently receives no income whilst costing SLC approximately Rs. 18 million annually for basic maintenance and utilities. 

The repurposing of the venue is hoped to bring in an annual income that will enable the stadium to function independently without cost to SLC. To this end, SLC today also announced the establishment of a 40-bed dormitory facility in Hambantota to cater to the residential and basic recreational needs of visiting teams.The Zimbabwe tour of Sri Lanka is scheduled to get underway on 27 June this year, and the playing of three ODI games as day games, is expected to give SLC a saving of approximately Rs. 10 million (cost of playing under lights) which will be invested in MRICS renovations. The third, fourth and fifth ODI’s scheduled to be played on 6, 8 and 10 July respectively will mark the reopening of MRICS as a functional international cricketing venue.

Sri Lanka Cricket believes that a strategic renovation and investment in the facilities at MRICS will benefit the game of cricket with the provision of a first-class venue in the Southern Province.