Colombo, Nov 28: Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe sacked Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe on Monday amid ongoing controversy in the Sri Lanka Cricket board.
Ranasinghe, who sought to sack the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) and install an interim committee led by Arjun Ranatunga. However, Ranasinghe has not only been sacked as Sports Minister but has also been removed as minister of youth affairs and minister of irrigation – the other portfolios he held.
This occurred following his accusations against the president earlier on Monday in parliament. Additionally, Ranasinghe had routinely charged SLC with mismanagement and corruption. A day later, the courts in Sri Lanka removed the interim committee he had appointed, which included two politicians’ sons who had no prior experience running the cricket team. Arjuna Ranatunga led the group.
For drawing attention to corruption in cricket, is this my reward? Ranasinghe spoke of his appointment of an interim committee to oversee Sri Lankan cricket administration, saying, “I took action based on audit reports.”
SLC had pleaded with the “upper echelons” of the Sri Lankan government to ensure that politics would not be allowed to re-enter the country’s cricket administration.
It is believed that SLC requested an ICC suspension in an effort to exert pressure on the sports minister, who had temporarily fired the cricket board.
Sri Lanka also lost the privilege to host the Under-19 men’s World Cup, which was originally slated for January and February of 2024, as a result of SLC’s suspension.