India’s scheduled tour of Sri Lanka in August remains unchanged, featuring two Test matches and two T20Is. Sri Lanka has asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to sanction more charity T20 matches in December to raise funds for Cyclone Ditwah recovery. However, this request was rejected. Cyclone Ditwah recently caused approximately 1.6 billion US dollars in damage and caused approximately 600 deaths across Sri Lanka.
SLC earmarked the proceeds from the three upcoming T20Is against Pakistan in Dambulla to the Cyclone Recovery Fund.
“We discussed a tour for two games on December 27 and 29 to support the reconstruction of Cyclone Ditwah, but we could not finalize the arrangements on the commercial side in time,” Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Shammi Silva told reporters.
Sri Lanka Cricket commented on the current state of the World Cup preparations with the main focus on upgrading the infrastructure. These efforts are to ensure that the SSC and other venues meet international standards for the tournament.
“In the short term, we are spending LKR 1.75 billion to install floodlights,” said Sujeewa Godaliyadda, treasurer of SLC.
SLC CEO Samantha Dodanwela highlighted the importance of the ongoing upgrades at SSC.
“In the long term, we could hope to hold day-night tests here,” Dodanwela said.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is progressing in preparations for the Men’s T20 World Cup, with the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo receiving a major infrastructure upgrade. Updates include newly imported light poles from India and a lighting system sourced from Italy. The work is part of a wider SLC strategy to improve facilities ahead of hosting five World Cup matches at the SSC from February.
The SSC, which earlier hosted Sri Lanka’s first home ODI in 1982, is set to host its first T20 World Cup match on February 7, a one-day match between Pakistan and the Netherlands. In the long term, the SLC plans to increase the capacity of the SSC from 20,000 to 30,000 to further develop Colombo’s role as a central cricket venue.
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Published on:
January 3, 2026
