Sri Lanka sports minister offers resignation after President questions Interim Cricket committee
Nov 07, 2023
Colombo [Sri Lanka], November 7 : In the latest development that heightens the crisis in Sri Lankan cricket, the country's Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe said that he would rather resign than remove the interim committee set up by him to run the Cricket board.
Sril Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe had objected to the appointment of interim committee for taking over Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC)
"President Ranil Wickremesinghe told me that if the Cricket Interim Committee is not removed, the Sports Act will be brought under him. I said that the committee will not be removed, I have told the President to remove me from the ministry," the Sports Minister said in Parliament.
Sri Lanka's Daily Mirror reported that hours after Sports Minister Roshan Ranasingha had appointed the interim committee headed by Arjuna Ranatunga he was admonished by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
The Daily Mirror reported that the Sri Lankan President was made aware that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board had been suspended and an interim committee was appointed only by seeing the messages on the news.
The President had also told his Sports Minister that politicizing the Sri Lanka Cricket Board could lead to Sri Lanka losing its membership in the ICC.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal on Tuesday issued an interim order suspending the operation of the Gazette appointing in respect of cricket governing body's Interim Committee appointed by the Sports Minister.
Several Hours after Sri Lanka Sports Minister Roshan Ranasingha established an interim committee led by 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga to take control of SLC on Monday,, Daily Mirror Online reported.
According to Daily Mirror Online, this order was issued by the Court of Appeal in response to a writ petition brought by SLC President Shammi Silva. This order is only valid for 14 days. The court granted board president Shammi Silva's plea, which challenged minister Roshan Ranasinghe's decision to dissolve the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and form an interim committee on Monday.
Earlier, the Sri Lanka Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe suspended the whole Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board. Ranasinghe also appointed an Interim Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), chaired by World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
Ranasinghe appointed Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning captain in 1996, to oversee a new interim board. A retired Supreme Court judge and a former board president are among the seven members of the newly constituted body.
Sri Lanka's disastrous 302-run World Cup loss to India last week, in which they were 14-6 at one stage and eventually dismissed for 55, sparked public outrage.
Sri Lanka currently stands at number 8 in the standings having lost 6 of the 8 matches they have played in this world cup.
