Sri Lanka’s sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, made the decision to sack the national cricket board following a humiliating defeat by India at the World Cup. In a strongly-worded statement, Ranasinghe stated, “We can no longer tolerate the incompetence and corruption within Sri Lanka Cricket. It’s time for a change.”
The former captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team and the 1996 World Cup-winning skipper, Arjuna Ranatunga, was appointed as the chairman of a new interim board. Ranatunga expressed his commitment to addressing the issues within Sri Lankan cricket, saying, “I’m honored to take on this role, and I promise to work tirelessly to restore the integrity of our beloved sport.”
This new seven-member panel also includes a retired supreme court judge, who emphasized the importance of restoring public trust in cricket, saying, “The people of Sri Lanka deserve a transparent and accountable cricket board.”
The decision to dissolve the existing cricket board came after Sri Lanka’s disastrous performance in the World Cup. Ranasinghe did not mince his words when he publicly demanded the resignation of the entire cricket board, stating, “The current board officials have no moral or ethical right to remain in office. Their actions have been nothing short of treacherous and corrupt.”
The team’s performance in the World Cup led to a public outcry, and Ranasinghe’s stance was clear: “They should voluntarily resign.” He had previously accused the board of being “traitorous and corrupt.”
In an attempt to address the issues of corruption and misconduct within Sri Lanka Cricket, Ranasinghe wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking their understanding and support. In his letter, he expressed the urgency of the situation, stating, “Sri Lanka Cricket has been besieged with complaints of player disciplinary issues, management corruption, financial misconduct, and match-fixing allegations.”
However, the ICC had previously forced him to withdraw a three-member panel he appointed to investigate corruption allegations, deeming it as political interference.
The Sri Lankan cricket board was elected in May, with Shammi Silva serving as the president for a third consecutive term. Sri Lanka has not won the World Cup since 1996, and Ranasinghe placed the blame squarely on the board for the “deterioration” of standards.
Another cabinet minister, Prasanna Ranatunga, stated that the 1996 World Cup victory had attracted money to the cricket board, leading to corruption and mismanagement. He emphatically stated, “Money started flowing to the cricket board after 1996, and with that came those who wanted to steal.”
In 2019, a former sports minister, Harin Fernando, introduced strict anti-corruption laws, stating that the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the world’s most corrupt cricketing nations. The situation remains a significant issue within the Sri Lankan cricketing community, with many hoping for a fresh start under the new interim board.
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