Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced plans to scale down the proposed Jaffna International Cricket Stadium project after determining that the original design exceeds the board’s current financial capacity.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Sri Lanka Cricket Honorary Secretary Prakash Shafter said the project is currently being reviewed to align its scope with the resources available.
“The project is underway, but we need to re-evaluate its final scope. Our review of the originally approved proposal has shown that it is beyond the financial capacity of Sri Lanka Cricket at present,” Shafter said.
He emphasized that Sri Lanka Cricket remains committed to developing cricket infrastructure in the Northern Province, although the scale of the project will be significantly reduced.
“We are committed to building a cricket stadium in the Jaffna region. However, we are reconsidering the level of investment in the project based on our current financial capacity,” he said.
Shafter acknowledged that Sri Lanka Cricket does not currently have the resources required to construct a fully-fledged international cricket stadium.
“I do not believe we have the funds to invest in an international cricket stadium in Jaffna at this stage,” he added.
According to Shafter, although most of the necessary regulatory approvals have already been obtained, the revised proposal is expected to focus solely on developing a cricket stadium, rather than the broader master plan initially proposed.
The original project included plans for an international cricket stadium, a sports city, and a housing development. However, Sri Lanka Cricket has concluded that the overall project is not financially viable under present circumstances.
“We have reviewed the scale of the original proposal in light of the funds currently available to Sri Lanka Cricket and believe it is not feasible to proceed with the entire development at this stage,” Shafter said.
Sri Lanka Cricket is expected to finalize the revised scope of the project following further evaluation while continuing its efforts to expand cricket infrastructure in the Jaffna region.
