Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeals has restored the country’s cricket board days after it was sacked by sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe, as per an AFP report. All expelled officials have also been reinstated pending a full hearing, it added.
“The restoring of the board is for two weeks when the court will hear the case again,” a court official said.
What Happened?
Ranasinghe’s move came after the Sri Lankans suffered a humiliating defeat by India at the 2023 ICC World Cup. Sri Lanka faced a 302-run defeat against India at the World Cup 2023.
The minister had also appointed an interim committee headed by former cricket captain and Chairman of a new interim national cricket board Arjuna Ranatunga.
The court’s decision followed a petition on November 6 by board president Shammi Silva, who challenged Ranansinghe’s decision to dissolve the board and appoint an interim committee, as per the report.
The report added that the government has also appointed a cabinet committee to address “outstanding issues” of the board.
Corruption Charges
Sri Lanka Cricket and Ranasinghe have been tussling for a while over allegations of widespread corruption, the report added.
When he took charge on November 6, Ranatunga had also vowed to “clean up the board and rebuild the national team”.
“Sri Lanka Cricket had become known as the most corrupt institution in the country. I want to change that image,” he said.
The sports minister also showed confidence in the former skipper and said he is “the most suitable person to revive cricket.” Ranasinghe contended that the Sri Lanka Cricket authorities lacked the requisite moral and ethical legitimacy to retain their positions.
World Cup Humiliation
In the 33rd match of ICC World Cup 2023, the Sri Lankan team collapsed and was all-out on the score of 55 runs, the fourth lowest runs in the history of the World Cup.
The performance reminded the people of the Asia Cup 2023 finals, where the defending champions Sri Lanka was all-out on a score of 50, laying an easy win for India by 10 wickets.
The 302-run loss against India incited widespread public indignation, leading to the deployment of law enforcement personnel outside the board office in Colombo starting on Saturday, coinciding with the occurrence of fervent demonstrations.
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Updated: 07 Nov 2023, 01:16 PM IST