By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka cricket has gone with the winds of commercialization, internal bickering and external geo politics coupled with indecent tactics under the cover of cricket rules of neighbouring countries to down the island nation by hook or by crook.
Adding fuel to under fire Sri Lanka Cricket board for its own failure and subject to allegation of corruption within, the sports ministry has opened a can of worms by appointing an interim committee sacking the current board members.
He has taken this action without informing the country’s president and the cabinet of ministers breaching the International Cricket Council guidelines which will result in the loss of Sri Lanka‘s ICC membership ,several cricket stalwarts said.
They noted that although action should be taken against the cricket board for alleged corruption of some members, it could have been done following proper legal and administrative procedures.
With the commercialization of sports and most of the icons becoming overnight millionaires mainly due to individual sponsorship packages and the sports governing bodies making money once again through a selling of various facilities.
However when the going was good it looked so healthy and convenient and in cricket the purity of the game was often bartered to suit the whims and fancies of the sponsors, betting agents, corrupt dealers and womanisers. But this is the twenty-first century and we have to live with the current realities, they claimed.
Sri Lanka national team’s 2023 world cup journey ended up with sheer beating from Bangladesh underdogs in every aspect of the tournament who displayed their indecent behavior during their match against Sri Lanka.
Arun Jaitely Stadium in Delhi would not only go down as one of the most controversial ones of this tournament but also in the entire history of World Cups.
The match had its heated moments right from the beginning whether it was a war of words between Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis and Bangladesh pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib or the stare games between Charith Asalanka and the Bangladesh bowlers.
But all hell broke loose when Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews was given out timed out in the 25th over. He became the first cricketer to be given out timed out in the history of international cricket.
In the internal cricket crisis hours after Sports Minister Roshan Ranasingha appointed an interim committee headed by former cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga to assume control of Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday.
An angry President Ranil Wickremesinghe telephoned Ranasingha and asked for an immediate explanation as to why he had made such a move without consulting him or the cabinet, local media reported.
Later last evening when the cabinet convened, President Wickremesinghe questioned Ranasingha in front of the ministers as to why he made a sole decision and even the composition of the members was questioned.
All Ministers questioned Ranasingha as to how retired judges would run the functions of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and why Rakitha Rajapakshe, who is the son of Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Hisham Jamaldeen, son of A.J.M. Muzammil were appointed to the committee local print madia high lighted.
As a result, a four member ministerial committee headed by Foreign Minister Ali Sabry was appointed to look into SLC’s future activities and the gazette notification issued appointing the SLC interim committee members. The other ministers are Kanchana Wijesekara, Manusha Nanayakkara and Tiran Alles.
