On Saturday, November 4, Mohan de Silva, the Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), resigned from his board post. Although the cause of his leaving is unknown, it is generally accepted to be related to the national team’s dismal performance during the ODI World Cup. But it’s possible that personal factors also played a role in his decision.
After SLC’s early elimination from the ODI World Cup, the squad has been under increasing criticism.
Fans were dissatisfied with the team’s lackluster performance and expressed concerns about the state of cricket in Sri Lanka. The nation’s minister of sports, who has been in contact with the board, put more pressure on SLC when she called for the executive committee’s resignation or threatened to take serious measures.
The Men’s T20 World Cup financial mismanagement and problems with domestic competitions like the Lanka Premier League have been major areas of contention in the over-a-year-long dispute between SLC and the Sports Minister. Although SLC and the sports ministry get along well most of the time, disagreements do occasionally come up.
Sri Lanka’s sports law states that the sports ministry is in charge of managing the SLC and other national sports organizations. Nonetheless, the ICC’s stringent anti-government laws protect against ministers wielding undue influence over cricket.
The sports minister accused SLC of a number of inadequacies in a two-page statement, including not providing players with essential amenities like an indoor training facility and a swimming pool for fitness and injury rehabilitation. Cricket players in Sri Lanka have been worried about these complaints for a long time.
Over the past two months, SLC has defended itself against the minister’s charges with forceful declarations. But the dismal World Cup performance of the national squad has temporarily changed the balance of power. The last time the government replaced the elected executive committee of SLC with a “interim committee” was in 2014; as a result, the ICC withheld payments meant for the board.
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