Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe of Sri Lanka dismissed the entire Sri Lanka Cricket Board and appointed an interim committee in its place until selecting the new committee. Due to internal strife, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLCB) was abolished in response to the team’s dismal performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, after the Kusal Mendis-led side was completely outplayed in the previous game against India.
This was Sri Lanka’s second consecutive terrible ODI performance against India. They were bowled out for 50 in the Asia Cup final on their home soil and were bowled out for 55 at the Wankhede Stadium.
In addition to the humiliating performance, Sri Lanka’s crushing loss to India—the second-largest margin in the CWC ’23—put an end to their hopes of making it to the semifinals.
During the cabinet meeting on Monday, Roshan Ranasinghe and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe are expected to discuss the issue. The Sports Ministry has total influence over the cricket board in all areas, including players’ selection, making Sri Lankan cricket extremely politicised. With just two wins and five losses thus far, Sri Lanka is out of the tournament’s semifinals and they would be eyeing to book a spot for the Champions Trophy 2025.
“Sri Lanka Cricket has been besieged with complaints of player disciplinary issues, management corruption, financial misconduct, and match-fixing allegations, I would like to emphasize that interim measures will only be taken to establish good governance principles,” Ranasinghe said in a statement released to Sri Lankan media.
Ranasinghe said that Arjuna Ranatunga, who guided Sri Lanka’s cricket team to its lone World Cup victory in 1996, has been named as the board’s acting chairman. A previous board president and a retired Supreme Court judge are also members of the recently established seven-member committee.
On Sunday evening, Sri Lankan stand-in skipper Kusal Mendis refused to comment on the rumours looming over the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, stating that team internal matters are not appropriate to talk about in public and that it is too complicated a question for him to address.
“It is difficult for me to say exactly about it. We cannot say from a match that the cricket selection committees and the coaches should leave. When we won the matches, nothing came of that issue.
“My role is to manage my team as we participate in the World Cup. Discussing the matters, you mentioned is challenging for me because decisions in those areas are made by different individuals. My primary focus is on giving my best to the team and navigating through this tournament. Responding to your question is indeed a complex matter for me”.
Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh on Monday in New Delhi and the team will look to put their past behind to come good in the next two games of the marquee event in India.
