Sri Lanka (Commonwealth) _The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has taken a good turn, as Sri Lanka’s President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has fired the country’s Sports Minister, Roshan Ranasinghe. According to media sources, President Wickremesinghe fired Ranasinghe from his roles as Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs and Minister of Irrigation on November 28.
Ranasinghe had focused his attention on SLC, even abolishing its elected body. He fired the elected cricket board earlier this month, accusing them of widespread wrongdoing. They were, however, categorically rejected the accusation and are presently defending it in court.
Following Ranasinghe’s removal from the SLC, an interim committee lead by Arjuna Ranatunga, a renowned former World Cup-winning captain, was formed. Despite his cricketing credentials, Ranatunga’s appointment has sparked debate in both Sri Lanka and the governing body. Notably, at its meeting in Ahmedabad on November 21, the ICC Board reaffirmed the decision to ban Sri Lanka Cricket, which had been reached on November 10.
The vote by parliament came after the minister accused the President of attempting to murder him because of his attempts to eliminate corruption within the cricket board. The minister outlined these claims in parliament, escalating a long-running spat with Wickremesinghe over SLC administration.
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He expressed concern that he would be assassinated as a result of his efforts to tidy up the cricket board. If I am killed on the road, the president and his chief of staff will be held accountable, Ranasinghe stated.
Sri Lanka’s sports minister was fired on Monday, only hours after accusing President Ranil Wickremesinghe in parliament of attempting to harass him over his efforts to thoroughly clean up fraud at the cricket board. According to officials, Roshan Ranasinghe was fired before of Monday’s weekly cabinet meeting after telling parliament that Wickremesinghe should be held accountable if he was slain.
“I fear I could be killed because of my work to clean up the cricket board,” Ranasinghe told parliament, increasing a spat with Wickremesinghe, who had been at odds with the minister over the management of Sri Lanka Cricket. Wickremesinghe did not respond immediately, but his office confirmed that the minister had been fired.
Ranasinghe fired the elected Sri Lanka cricket board earlier this month after accusing them of massive corruption, which they deny and are contesting in court. The Minister was forced to act against the SLC because there was strong public and media pressure to abolish the cricket board and establish a group whose primary goal should be to enhance the country’s cricket, which has witnessed utter failure.
The cricket board is the wealthiest sporting organization on the island. All other sports aren’t getting as much attention since the public’s attention is focused solely on cricket. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was suspended earlier this month by the International Cricket Council for failing to guarantee there was no government intervention in its business, in violation of the international body’s guidelines.
Ranasinghe has denied the president’s request to rescind the board’s dismissal. Three weeks ago, the parliament supported the sports minister by approving a non-binding motion requesting that the cricket board dissolve awaiting a forensic assessment of its records.
Wickremesinghe has formed a committee of four lawmakers to look into the ICC suspension. The cash-strapped government defaulting on its $46 billion debt in April last year after falling out of foreign money to purchase even the most basic imports, making life miserable for the island’s 22 million residents.
This turn of affairs provides hope for the SLC, which was facing ICC suspension owing to government meddling in the board’s operations, which impacted its autonomy. However, the world cricket governing body stated that it may be premature to expect the suspension to be lifted immediately.
