ICC Deputy Chairman meets Sports Minister

By Shehan Daniel 

The Deputy Chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Imran Khwaja met Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe yesterday as part of his ‘fact-finding mission’ into allegations of political interference at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The Daily Mirror understands that while Khwaja reiterated the need for the sport to be administered without any such political interference, he was of the opinion that some reforms will be necessary. “The ICC Deputy Chairman asked that the Minister and SLC come together to collaboratively work out a solution with a road map,” an individual familiar with the discussion, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Daily Mirror. Khwaja had also met SLC officials on Wednesday as part of the fact-finding mission and it is understood that a decision is not expected to be made based on the discussions, with the ICC Deputy Chairman urging the Minister to work towards reconciliation between both parties.  Attending the meeting with Khwaja yesterday was Director General of the Department of Sports Development A Muthumala, President’s Counsel Dinal Phillips, lawyer Panduka Keerthinanda and former Sri Lanka cricket captain Sidath Wettimuny. The ICC’s Senior Manager of Strategic Development Ammar Shaikh was also present. At an equally cordial discussion with the Executive Committee of SLC on Wednesday, Khwaja is believed to have sought a deeper understanding of the allegations being made against the Minister. “He was very receptive of what we had to share and he was of the opinion that political interference was not in the right spirit in the administration of the game,” an SLC official told the Daily Mirror. Khwaja is part of a three-member committee appointed by the ICC, which includes Board of Control for Cricket in India Secretary Jay Shah and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan Papon, to look into complaints of political interference made by SLC against Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe. The Minister and SLC have been at loggerheads since last year, which led to SLC making these complaints to the ICC in December, particularly aggrieved by a gazette issued by the Minister that barred certain SLC officials from contesting this month’s SLC election. The implementation of the gazette was however stayed by the Court of Appeal in February, giving the aggrieved officials the green light to contest the elections.