On Saturday, November 4, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Secretary Mohan de Silva resigned from his board post. Though his departure’s official cause is unknown, it is generally assumed that it was due to the national team’s dismal performance at the ODI World Cup. But his choice might possibly have been impacted by personal factors.
With the team’s early elimination from the ODI World Cup, the criticism of SLC has been mounting.
Fans were unhappy with the team’s poor performance, which also prompted questions about the quality of cricket in Sri Lanka. When the nation’s minister of sports, who has been in contact with the board, called for the executive committee’s resignation or threatened to take serious measures, the pressure on Sri Lanka Cricket escalated.
Sri Lanka Cricket financial mishandling during the Men’s T20 World Cup last year and problems with domestic events like the Lanka Premier League have been major sources of contention in the over-a-year-long friction between the league and the minister of sports. Conflicts do occasionally develop, even though SLC and the sports ministry generally get along well.
The Sports Ministry is in charge of managing the SLC and other national-level sports organizations, as per the sports law of Sri Lanka. But as a check on ministerial overreach, the ICC has stringent regulations prohibiting government meddling in cricket.
The Sports Minister accused Sri Lanka Cricket of several inadequacies in a two-page statement, one of which was the non-provision of facilities that players require, like an indoor training facility and a swimming pool for fitness and injury recovery. Cricket players in Sri Lanka have long harbored frustrations regarding these issues.
In response to the minister’s accusations over the past three months, SLC has made forceful declarations. The national team’s dismal World Cup performance, nevertheless, has momentarily changed the power dynamics. The ICC held monies meant for the board when the government last forced a “interim committee” to replace the SLC’s elected executive committee in 2014.
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