Kiriella takes stock of Kandy's declining sports

by Hafiz Marikar

Former Sports Minister, Royal College, Law College and Kandy Law Association cricketer Lakshman Kiriella is expected to step in and make a difference in the long awaited re-organisation of sports in Kandy.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, Kiriella said that he is all-out to give his best shot for the re-establishment of all sports in Kandy which is badly in need of good leadership and support.

Kiriella played a big part in the construction of the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium and it is learnt that cricket fans in Kandy are to request Sri Lanka Cricket to name a section of it as the Lakshman Kiriella stand or Lakshman Kiriella pavilion.

Earlier a resolution was tabled at the Kandy Municipal Council on April 28, 2011 to name the Pallekelle stadium pavilion as the Lakshman Kirella Pavilion. The motion was unanimously passed. The stadium was his brainchild when he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was instrumental in starting work at this venue which was later aborted. It was after a home test series between Sri Lanka and Australia that Minister Kiriella came up with the idea.

When the two teams were hosted for dinner, Minister Kiriella requested the then BOI Chairman Thilan Wijesinghe to help by releasing a plot of land for a cricket stadium as the Asgiriya stadium lacked major facilities.

The capacity of the Pallekele stadium is around 30,000 and the entire cost of the project was estimated at Rs.450 million.

Pallekele became the 104th Test venue in the World and hosted its first match between the West Indies and Sri Lanka.