Since President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka fired Roshan Ranasinghe, the country’s minister of sports, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to suspend Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has changed in a positive way. According to media sources, on November 28, President Wickremesinghe declared Ranasinghe’s immediate termination from his roles as Minister of Irrigation and Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs.
Roshan Ranasinghehad focused his attention on SLC, even abolishing its elected body.
He removed the elected cricket board earlier this month on the grounds that office-bearers were seriously corrupt. They fiercely refuted the accusation, though, and are presently contesting it in court.
An temporary committee led by legendary former World Cup captain Arjuna Ranatunga was appointed following Ranasinghe’s removal from the SLC. Nevertheless, despite his achievements in cricket, Ranatunga’s appointment has caused controversy inside the apex body as well as in Sri Lanka. Notably, the ICC Board maintained the decision to suspend Sri Lanka Cricket, which was made on November 10, during its meeting in Ahmedabad on November 21.
The parliament made its judgment after the minister claimed that the president was trying to kill him because he was trying to clean up the cricket board. The minister escalated a protracted dispute with Wickremesinghe on SLC management by outlining these accusations in parliament.
“I worry that my efforts to tidy up the cricket board could result in my death. WION cited Ranasinghe as adding, “The president and his chief of staff will be responsible if I am assassinated on the road.”
This recent development is encouraging for the SLC, which the ICC suspended due to governmental interference that compromised the board’s independence. The world cricket governing body, however, noted that it could be too soon to expect the suspension to be lifted immediately.
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