Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal has reinstated the country’s cricket board days after it was sacked by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, according to an AFP report. She added that all the fired officials were reinstated pending a full hearing.
A court official said, “The council’s return will continue for two weeks, during which the court will consider the case again.”
What happened?
Ranasinghe’s move came after the Sri Lankans suffered a humiliating defeat to India in the 2023 ICC World Cup.. Sri Lanka faced a 302-run defeat against India in the 2023 World Cup.
The minister also appointed an interim committee headed by former cricket captain and new interim National Cricket Board president Arjuna Ranatunga.
The court’s decision followed a petition filed by board chairman Shami Silva on November 6, which challenged Ranansinghe’s decision to dissolve the board and appoint an interim committee, according to the report.
The report added that the government also appointed a ministerial committee to address “outstanding issues” in the council.
Corruption accusations
The report added that the Sri Lanka Cricket Team and Ranasinghe have been feuding for some time over allegations of rampant corruption.
When he took charge on November 6, Ranatunga also pledged to “cleanse the board and rebuild the national team”.
“Sri Lankan cricket has become known as the most corrupt institution in the country. I want to change this image,” he said.
The Sports Minister also expressed confidence in the former skipper and said that he is “the most suitable person to revive cricket”. Ranasinghe asserted that Sri Lanka’s cricket authorities lacked the necessary moral and ethical legitimacy to retain their positions.
World Cup humiliation
In the 33rd match of the ICC World Cup 2023, the Sri Lankan team collapsed and had a score of 55 points, the fourth lowest in the history of the World Cup.
This performance reminded people of the 2023 Asia Cup, where defending champions Sri Lanka were bowled out by 50, sealing an easy win for India by 10 wickets.
The 302nd loss to India sparked widespread public outrage, leading to the deployment of law enforcement personnel outside the board’s office in Colombo starting on Saturday, coinciding with heated demonstrations.
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Updated: 07 November 2023, 01:16 PM IST
