Sri Lanka Cricket Accuses Ministry of Sports of Discrepancies in Expenditure of Rs 289 Million Grant

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has accused the Ministry of Sports of providing misleading details regarding the spending of the Rs. 289 million grant provided by SLC to the National Sports Fund. Discrepancies were identified between a document obtained by SLC under the Rights to Information (RTI) Act and the media release issued by the Ministry, creating confusion and raising questions about transparency and accountability.

The Ministry’s media release on November 13, 2023, outlined details of 47 items on how the Rs. 289 million grant from SLC was spent. However, the document obtained by SLC under the RTI Act revealed that the ministry spent money on 67 activities, deviating from the 47 mentioned in the media release. An evaluation of the figures for 33 items also showed inconsistencies between the Ministry’s media release and the RTI document.

SLC has formally requested the Ministry of Sports to provide clarity on these differences, emphasizing the importance of transparency and accountability in financial matters.

In another revelation, SLC disclosed that Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera were selected in the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 despite not having fully recovered from their injuries. The National Sports Selection Committee, under the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, sought medical clearance for the cricketers’ selection, leading to their eventual exclusion from the squad.

Despite the setback, Chameera later traveled to India and played four matches in the tournament, while Mathews participated in five games. Sri Lanka finished in the second-last spot (ninth) with two wins from seven matches, accumulating four points in the World Cup.

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