HT Digital,
Colombo, Nov 6: Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, dismissed the entire national cricket board on Monday and established a new interim board, as confirmed by a statement from his office. This move occurred shortly after Sri Lanka’s second successive defeat to neighbouring India.
Ranasinghe has reportedly been in conflict with Sri Lanka Cricket, the country’s wealthiest sports body, for several months due to alleged widespread corruption. Following this abrupt decision, Ranasinghe appointed an interim board headed by Arjuna Ranatunga, the captain of the country’s 1996 World Cup-winning team. His office released a statement saying, ‘Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has formed an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket.’
Related Posts:
A seven-member panel, including a retired supreme court judge and a former board president, has been formed, following the resignation of the board’s second-highest officer, secretary Mohan de Silva. This development came in the aftermath of Sri Lanka’s 302-run defeat to India in the World Cup last week.
The defeat, which saw Sri Lanka all out for 55, the fourth-lowest World Cup total in history, prompted an outcry from the public and led to protests outside the board office in Colombo. Ranasinghe, who publicly demanded the resignation of the entire board, stated that Sri Lanka Cricket officials had no moral or ethical right to remain in office.
Ranasinghe penned a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday, a move considered as political interference in the sport, seeking their understanding and support. Following this, letters were released to Sri Lankan media in which Ranasinghe expressed his concerns over complaints of player disciplinary issues, management corruption, financial misconduct and match-fixing allegations within Sri Lanka Cricket.
Previously, he was compelled to retract a three-member panel established to investigate the alleged corruption at the board as it was perceived as political interference. The ICC has not officially commented on Ranasinghe’s letter or his decision to dissolve a board elected in May with president Shammi Silva serving his third consecutive term. Ranasinghe held the board responsible for the ‘deterioration’ of standards, noting that Sri Lanka has not claimed the World Cup since 1996. Prasanna Ranatunga, a cabinet minister and brother of the newly appointed interim board chairman, stated in August that the 1996 victory had been ‘the biggest curse for our cricket’.
