Focus only on NZ match -- Nawaz

By Champika Fernando in Bengaluru

The turmoil back at home could distract cricketers and the coaching staff at the ongoing World Cup as their commitment has been questioned by many including the Sports Minister and several other MPs in parliament.

However, Sri Lanka’s Assistant Coach Naveed Nawaz, while admitting that these are "challenging times", insisted that they were focused only on what was within their control.
Sri Lanka has lost six of their eight games so far, including a massive 302-run defeat at the hands of India in Mumbai. These defeats have heightened calls for a complete overhaul of the entire cricketing system, including the cricket board which the Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe says is corrupt to the core.

“It’s challenging time of course,” said Nawaz, a regular at Sri Lanka's pre- and post-match press conferences.

Sri Lanka meets New Zealand in their last group game today, looking to salvage some pride and to at least secure their place at the 2025 Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan.
“But we should control the controllables right now," Nawaz continued. "The only control that we have in this tournament is the game tomorrow. So, the team meetings and whatever discussions we had amongst the coaching group, as well as with players, were focused on that. We cannot focus on the matches that we have played and finished or we cannot focus on anything which is happening back home. I guess the way to go forward is to put our energies, put our focus on the game tomorrow and try to do the best to our ability."
On Monday, Sports Minister Ranasinghe sacked the country’s cricket board and appointed an interim committee headed by former cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga.
This was after either the SLC hierarchy or the national selectors refused to resign on the minister’s demand, in the light of the massive defeat against India where Sri Lanka were bowled out for 55 runs in response to India’s 357. 

But the country’s Court of Appeal on Tuesday issued a 14-day stay order preventing the operation of the gazette notification in respect of SLC’s interim committee appointed by the Sports Minister. The Court of Appeal issued this order after considering a writ petition filed by the Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva.

Following this, Minister Ranasinghe on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the judiciary over the recent judgment, exposed the alleged corruption of SLC officials and also blamed certain individuals for misleading the Head of State. The Minister had earlier said he was asked to withdraw the gazette which suspended the SLC by the President Ranil Wickremasinghe.