Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, has taken the decision to dismiss the national cricket board following a humiliating defeat by India at the World Cup. Ranasinghe has been involved in a long-standing dispute with Sri Lanka Cricket over allegations of corruption within the organization, which is the wealthiest sports body in the financially struggling country. In a statement issued by Ranasinghe’s office, it was announced that Arjuna Ranatunga, who captained Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup, has been appointed as the chairman of a new interim board.
The statement read, “Sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe has formed an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket.” The newly-formed seven-member panel includes a retired supreme court judge and a former board president. This move comes just a day after the board’s secretary, Mohan de Silva, resigned from his position.
Ranasinghe publicly called for the resignation of the entire board following Sri Lanka’s devastating 302-run loss to India last week. Sri Lanka’s innings saw them at 14-6 at one point, and they were eventually all out for just 55 runs, making it the fourth-lowest World Cup total in history. The defeat sparked public outrage, with Ranasinghe stating that Sri Lanka Cricket officials had no moral or ethical right to continue in their positions. “They should voluntarily resign,” he declared.
Later on Monday, Sri Lanka will face Bangladesh in a crucial match, where they will need a miracle to secure a spot in the World Cup’s final four. Ranasinghe had previously written to the International Cricket Council (ICC), urging their understanding and support. In the letters, which were released to Sri Lankan media, he highlighted the numerous issues plaguing Sri Lanka Cricket, including player disciplinary problems, management corruption, financial misconduct, and match-fixing allegations.
It should be noted that the ICC had previously compelled Ranasinghe to withdraw a three-member panel that he had appointed to investigate corruption allegations within the board, deeming it to be political interference. As of now, there has been no immediate response from the ICC regarding Ranasinghe’s latest actions.
Sri Lanka’s last World Cup victory was in 1996, and Ranasinghe attributes the decline in standards to the board’s actions. Another cabinet minister, Prasanna Ranatunga, who is the brother of the newly appointed interim board chairman, expressed similar sentiments in parliament earlier this year. He referred to the 1996 triumph as the “biggest curse” for Sri Lankan cricket, explaining that with the influx of money came individuals who sought to exploit the sport.
Please note that this article has been generated automatically by an AI and has not been edited by the NDTV staff.
