SRI LANKA CRICKET IN SHAMBLES

• Furious President telephones Roshan Ranasinghe over his sudden move  
• President says politicizing SLC could lead to losing ICC membership
• SL Cricket Board led by Shammi Silva remains silent over their suspension

By JAMILA HUSAIN  

Hours after Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe appointed an  interim committee headed by former cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga to assume  control of Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday, an angry President Ranil  Wickremesinghe telephoned Ranasinghe and asked for an immediate  explanation as to why he had made such a move without consulting him or  the cabinet.  

The Daily Mirror learns that the President was made aware  that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board had been suspended, and an interim  committee appointed by seeing the messages on the news and was surprised  as to why Ranasinghe had not consulted him or anyone in the cabinet.  

An angry Wickremesinghe immediately telephoned Ranasinghe  and called for an explanation and asked him to be present at the cabinet  meeting last evening.  

The President had also informed Ranasinghe that  politicizing the Sri Lanka Cricket Board would lead to Sri Lanka losing  its membership from the ICC and why is it that such a sudden move was  made when the World Cup series was ongoing. Ranasinghe of course had  defended himself, to which he was firmly told to remember who the  President was and that he should have consulted the cabinet before  making any such move.   

The Daily Mirror learns that Ranasinghe was informed by the  President to compile a report into allegations of misconduct by the  suspended Sri Lanka Cricket Board a few weeks ago and only after this  report was submitted to the cabinet that a collective decision would be  made and the course of action taken.  
However, instead of doing that, Ranasinghe hurriedly  suspended Shammi Silva and his gang from the SLC Board and appointed an  interim committee appointed by Arjuna Ranatunga. While some retired  judges have been appointed to the interim committee, serious questions  were raised as to why A.J.M. Muzammil’s son, Hisham Jamaldeen and  Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe’s son Rakitha Rajapakshe was appointed to  the committee as both had no knowledge or experience of cricket, senior  sources said.

  
It is learnt that a furious President had also mentioned to  some of his close confidantes that he would revoke the gazette issued  by Ranasinghe if Sri Lanka’s membership with the ICC was at stake and  the cabinet would take over the Sports Law.   

However, despite Ranasinghe being told to provide an explanation  to the cabinet over his sudden move to appoint an interim committee, the  new members led by Arjuna Ranatunga visited the Sri Lanka Cricket  yesterday to take over their functions. Ranasinghe himself met Ranatunga  later in the afternoon to begin discussions.  
The suspended Sri Lanka Cricket Board led by Shammi Silva,  who in recent days have been severely ridiculed by a cricket-loving  nation for the national team’s disappointing performance, remained  silent with all suspended members remaining tight-lipped over their  disgraced suspension.     

• Questions raised why members with no knowledge or experience of cricket were appointed
• President says he would revoke gazette if ICC membership is at stake