Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe on Monday sacked the National Cricket Board after the humiliating defeat by India in the World Cup. Ranasinghe has been at odds with Sri Lanka Cricket for months over allegations of large-scale corruption. The country's 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has been appointed chairman of the new interim board, Ranasinghe's office said in a statement. According to the statement, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has formed an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket.
The new seven-member panel also includes a retired Supreme Court judge and a former chairman of the board. The move comes a day after the board's second-highest official, Secretary Mohan de Silva, resigned. Ranasinghe had publicly demanded the resignation of the entire board following Sri Lanka's 302-run defeat to hosts India in the World Cup last week. Chasing India's target of 358 runs, Sri Lanka at one time lost six wickets for 14 runs and was reduced to 55 runs, which is the fourth-lowest score in the history of the World Cup.
The defeat sparked public anger and police have been deployed outside the board office in Colombo following protests on Saturday. Ranasinghe had said that Sri Lankan cricket officials have no moral or ethical right to continue in office. He said, 'Board officials should resign voluntarily. He had earlier accused the board of being traitors and corrupt. Sri Lanka has to play against Bangladesh on Monday and will need a miracle if they want to make it to the last four of the World Cup.
Ranasinghe had on Saturday written a letter to the full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking mutual understanding and support. In a letter issued to Sri Lankan media, Ranasinghe said, 'Sri Lanka cricket is surrounded by disciplinary issues of players, management corruption, financial misconduct and allegations of match-fixing. The sports minister was forced by the ICC to withdraw the three-member panel appointed last month to probe alleged corruption at the board as it was considered political interference.
The ICC had no immediate reaction to the latest move by Ranasinghe, who sacked the board elected in May, and chairman Shammi Silva, who is serving a third consecutive term. Sri Lanka has not won the World Cup since 1996 and Ranasinghe blamed the board for the poor standard. Prasanna Ranatunga, another cabinet minister, told Parliament in August that the 1996 victory was the biggest curse for our cricket.
He said, 'After 1996, money started coming into the cricket board, and with it came people who wanted to commit theft and corruption.' Former Sports Minister Harin Fernando introduced tough anti-corruption laws in 2019, saying the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the most corrupt cricket nations in the world.
Also Read: IND vs SA: South African batsmen surrendered before Indian bowlers, made this shameful record in ODI
Ahaan Pandey won everyone's heart after debuting in Mohit Suri's film Saiyaara. After the movie,
Tara Sutaria and Veer Pahariya were seen together doing a flying kiss at the fashion week. After
Recently, America has taken action against illegal immigrants. In this episode, America sent back
PM Modi Mahakumbh: Today PM Modi will take a dip in the holy confluence, will visit the fair
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj today. After taking a di
WPL 2024: UP Warriors' most expensive player out of the tournament, franchise announces replacement
The 11th match of the Women's Premier League 2024 was played between UP Warriors and Royal Challe
Israel-Hamas War: 'If needed, Israel will stand alone', Netanyahu said on US threat to stop arms
A fierce war has been going on in the Gaza Strip for more than seven months. Meanwhile, the Israe
The body of social media influencer Kamal Kaur alias Kanchan Kumari was recovered from a car park
On March 28, a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar. Its tremors were felt till Thailand, Vietnam,
Taapsee Pannu Wedding: Actress Taapsee Pannu has been in the limelight for the past several days
Amid the ongoing controversy over the derogatory comments made by Maldivian ministers on Prime Mi
