Days after the Sri Lanka cricket team’s humiliating loss to India in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, the government of the island nation on Monday sacked the country’s cricket board.
Chasing a massive total of 358, Sri Lanka were bowled out for a paltry 55 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
After that humiliating loss, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe had strongly criticized Sri Lanka Cricket, accusing it of being disloyal and tainted by corruption. He had called for the immediate resignation of board members.
The anger was growing among the Sri Lankan public against the administrators, players and the secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mohan de Silva, resigned on Saturday amid fan protests outside the board’s headquarters.
On Monday, Sports Minister Ranasinghe issued a notice suspending the remaining board members and replacing them with an interim committee chaired by World Cup winning former captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
“Sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe has formed an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket,” Ranasinghe’s office said in a statement.
The 59-year-old Ranatunga will be joined by two retired Supreme Court judges in the seven-member committee.
Notably, Ranatunga, who previously led a similar interim committee in 2008, had been critical of the Silva administration’s management.
The 1996 champions Sri Lanka have lost five out of seven matches and currently sit in seventh place with four points. Their campaign has largely been derailed by injuries to key players but they could still snatch a place in the semi-final with a triumph over Bangladesh at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, then another against New Zealand on 9 November.
The outcome of Sri Lanka versus Sri Lanka clash on Monday carries extra weight as a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy is also on the line, as only the top eight sides at the end of the World Cup qualify for the next 50-over event in 2025.