The 63-page report to inquire into Sri Lanka cricket team’s participation in the ICC T-20 World Cup and related incidents is more than fixing the behaviour of players, as it will be putting Maitland Place’s current administration under unimaginable pressure, even to survive against a Sports Minister who seems in loggerheads with Shammi Silva led elected body.
Sri Lanka, who had to go through the qualifiers to make it to the Super-12s of the tournament had an underwhelming campaign in Australia, finishing fourth in the group table.
Their campaign was marred with controversy, first after losing to Namibia in the first qualifier game and then later with batter Danushka Gunathilaka getting arrested for sexual assault right after the team’s exit from the tournament.
An independent panel investigated Sri Lanka’s off-field behaviour during the World Cup. The panel found that fast bowling all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne was involved in a brawl at a casino along with six teammates. In a 63-page report, the panel detailed the incident stating that Chamika got into a fight after he denied a photo to one of the members at the Casino.
The report did not spare former captain Mahela Jayawardene, who was the consultant coach in the T20 World Cup. Jayawardene reportedly opened a branch of his upmarket Ministry of Crab restaurant chain in Australia, while travelling on the expense of Sri Lanka cricket board.
However, the Inquiry Panel was more interested in finding Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) loopholes, Instead of sticking to their original task.
The Panel, in their quest to put a question mark over SLC functioning, specifically highlighted controversial Born Again saga, Board CEO Ashley De Silva’s travelling, spending on tickets and allowances.
The Panel was so much desperate to bring anything against SLC that even it has also mentioned in the report that the board must spend wisely, as Country is facing deep financial crisis!
As Cricket Age has exclusively published in last few months, the nature of Panel’s report suggests that Sports Ministry is desperately trying to desolve Shammi Silva led administration and appoint an interim committee to run the functioning of the game in the Island!
Interestingly, a gazette notification from Sports Ministry has already knocked out almost every SLC bigwig from cricket politics. But now, it seems that Ministry won’t stop just there, as the report has stated that the people of the institution, who have misappropriated funds and those who have helped them, have to be dealt legally, according to Country’s penal code. In this scenari, it seems that the Panel’s report has achieved it’s desired task – to clear the path for Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe to appoint an interim committee!
