• New President Ravin Wickramaratne aims to build a unified umpire community in Sri Lanka and further enhance standards.
The Association of Cricket Umpires in Sri Lanka (ACUSL) recently inducted 53 new members at a special ceremony held at the Panadura Sports Club, a move that is aimed at unifying the umpiring community in the country under one umbrella.
This event marks a notable milestone, as all the new members were previously part of the ‘Professional Cricket Umpires Association,’ a group that had split from the ACUSL over a decade ago.
Among those who joined the ACUSL are Prageeth Rambukwella, former President of the Professional Cricket Umpires Association and currently an ICC umpire, and Ranmore Martinez, a former international umpire who previously served as the breakaway association’s secretary.
ICC umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Raveendra Wimalasiri, both ICC umpires, also became members of ACUSL.
The new members were given their membership certificates by Mr. Ravin Wickramaratne, the newly elected President of ACUSL, who aims to strengthen and advance the umpiring profession in Sri Lanka with the patronage of Mr. Shammi Silva, President of Sri Lanka Cricket.
Towards achieving the goal, he aims to build a unified umpiring community in Sri Lanka, and adding these 53 members represents a significant step toward that goal.
In his address to the new members, Wickramaratne, who also serves as Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket, invited the membership to contribute to elevating the standards of the umpiring profession in Sri Lanka.
Founded in 1944, the ACUSL has a proud history, including providing umpires for Sri Lanka’s inaugural Test match against England in 1982 at the P. Sara Oval.
With the addition of these new members, ACUSL now has 1,300 members across the country, organized into various grades (1 to 5) and represented by 17 District Branches.