Colombo: Arjuna Ranatunga, former captain of the Sri Lanka Cricket Team, has accused Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Chief Jay Shah of ruining cricket in Sri Lanka.
The former cricket who led the Sri Lankan team to victory in 1996 Cricket World Cup Jay Shah of controlling the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Board.
“Jay Shah is running Sri Lanka Cricket. SLC is being ruined because of pressure from Jay Shah,” Ranatunga said in an interview posted on YouTube, according to Daily Mirror.
Ranatunga also accused the BCCI of interfering in the affairs of Sri Lanka cricket.
"Because of the connection between SLC officials and Jay Shah, they (the BCCI) are under the impression that they can trample and control SLC," the Sri Lankan newspaper quoted Ranatunga as saying in the said interview.
“One man in India is ruining Sri Lankan cricket. He is only powerful because of his father, who is India's home Minister”, Ranatunga said.
Ranataunga is heading an interim committee formed earlier this month after Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the Sri Lanka Cricket board.
Ranatunga’s outburst against BCCI and its chief Jay Shah came after the Sri Lankan cricket team’s abysmal performance at the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Out of the 9 world cup group matches Sri Lanka played, the team won 02 and last 07, including the one against India when the entire team was all-out for just 55 runs in the 20th over.
Sri Lanka finished 9 in the world cup pint table. This means that it will not qualify for the 2025 Champion Trophy.
On the other hand, Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee Pramodya Wickramasinghe, now sacked, pointed fingers at “certain individuals vying for power in the Sri Lanka Cricket Board”, brokers involved in match-fixing and those attempting to secure spots in the national team as contributors to the challenges faced by Sri Lankan cricket, Daily Mirror reported.
Wickramasinghe also accused the Sports Ministry of lacking a firm policy on cricket selections, citing the Minister's objections to including injured players Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chamira in the ICC World Cup 2023 squad, as an example.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket's membership with immediate effect, citing serious breaches of obligations, particularly regarding the autonomy of managing its affairs and preventing government interference in cricket governance.
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