SLC responds to Sports Minister's revelations; calls for fair probe

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has once again responded to Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe's disclosure of confidential letters sent by the SLC to the International Cricket Council (ICC) before the suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket.

The SLC today dismissed claims that it had forced the ICC to suspend Sri Lanka from international cricket. The SLC called the allegations baseless, malicious and without merit.

SLC said that the Minister's statements were tainted with malice and appeared to be orchestrated to instigate the public, creating undue influence on pending and emerging matters related to the affairs of SLC.

While highlighting the obligation of ICC directors, including the SLC president, to respect objectives outlined in the ICC's Memorandum of Association, the SLC said the Minister lacks the understanding of cricket intricacies. 

SLC clarified that actions taken were in the best interest of the cricket administration in Sri Lanka, countering the Minister's claims of corruption and malpractice based on a Special Audit report. SLC emphasized that the audit report found no evidence of corrupt conduct, and the minister's repeated allegations appeared to be politically motivated.

Addressing the obligation to operate autonomously without government interference, SLC accused the Minister of causing harm to the organization by contravening ICC principles.

"The Minister of Sports has taken the unprecedented step of communicating with the ICC and its full members, making false claims that SLC officials were involved in corruption and malpractices based on a Special Audit report. However, it is crucial to emphasize that the said audit report did not reveal any corrupt conduct or malpractices, and the ICC and its Members were well aware of the groundlessness of these allegations," SLC stated.

SLC accused the Minister of Sports of pursuing a different agenda through media manipulation, without pursuing legal avenues to address the allegations.

Meanwhile, SLC urged a fair and unbiased examination of the facts.