Sri Lanka Cricket Board has been suspended by ICC.
The ICC has said that the government is interfering in cricket in Sri Lanka and it has threatened the autonomy of the board and has suspended Sri Lanka’s membership.
So, this matter is not resolved, then Sri Lanka will not be able to participate in international cricket.
Let us know why this action has been taken on Sri Lanka, what is the background behind it.
One time out, three losses and the board’s dismissal
Sri Lankan cricket is currently in a state of disaster.
Lankan team was defeated by Afghanistan first. Then they had to accept a humiliating defeat by India. In two consecutive matches against India, the Sri Lankan team could not even cross the sixty-run mark.
Then Angelo Mathews was given time out in the match against Bangladesh. Sri Lanka lost that match too and added salt to the wounds of their fans.
All this was less or less, but in the meantime, their sports minister decided to dissolve the Sri Lankan Cricket Board itself. The court stopped the dismissal the very next day.
But now ICC has taken suspension action on Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
Even before the start of the controversial match against Bangladesh, these problems in Sri Lankan cricket were again in front of the world.
What happened after the defeat in the World Cup?
In the match played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on November 2, Sri Lanka suffered a crushing defeat by 302 runs. After that, the Sri Lankan team was criticized at home.
According to BBC Sinhala, the fans staged protests outside the board’s headquarters and demanded the resignation of the office bearers.
Against this backdrop, the sports minister had also demanded the resignation of the entire cricket board.
The very next day, on November 6, Sri Lankan Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe announced that the entire Sri Lankan Cricket Board was dismissed
The Sri Lankan government has also appointed a cabinet committee to resolve the issues in cricket.
Also, a seven-member interim cricket committee was formed to look after the affairs of Sri Lankan cricket.
Its chairmanship was given to former Sri Lankan cricketer and 1996 World Cup winning team captain Arjun Ranatunga. The committee also included a former judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and a former chairman of the board.
Ranatunga told the media that his committee will build a team that will play for the country.
He had said, “Hopefully we will build a team that will follow discipline and love the country. A team that will be a family and loved by 2.2 crore people in the country.”
But now the court has stayed the decision of the sports minister. The court gave this decision while hearing the appeal of Sri Lanka Cricket Board President Shami Silva.
The next hearing in this matter will be held in two weeks and the court has clarified that the board will not be dismissed.
Controversy between Cricket Board and Sports Minister
But this is not the first time that the Sri Lankan Cricket Board ie SLC and Sports Minister Ranasinghe have been at loggerheads. In the last few months, the dispute between the two escalated.
Ranasinghe had claimed that allegations of corruption and indiscipline of players as well as allegations of match fixing had come to light in the SLC.
In fact, SLC is the richest sports organization in Sri Lanka. But Sri Lanka as a whole has been hit by an economic crisis from which the country is yet to emerge. Similarly, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board is also facing financial difficulties and is in dispute with the Sports Minister.
Last week, Ranasinghe called for the resignation of the entire board, criticizing that all office-bearers of the Sri Lankan board lacked the moral right to remain in office. He then decided to dissolve the board.
On Saturday, Ransinghe wrote a letter to the ICC requesting them to understand his side and support him.
According to the ICC rules, political interference by the government in the cricket board of any country is not tolerated. In case of such interference, the team of that country is banned. It is under this rule that action has been taken against the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
Last month, Ranasinghe set up a three-member committee to investigate alleged corruption in the Sri Lanka board. But as this was considered a political interference, the sports minister had to withdraw the committee.
Even now this case has gone to court.
What should the Sri Lankan team do?
Sri Lanka have also been plagued by player injuries for some time now. Experts say that there is a need to focus on their fitness.
Blaming the coaches or the board alone does not solve the problem. Abhaysinghe says, “It’s not as simple as pushing a button and changing everything. To get out of this, you have to start from scratch.”
“India getting all out for 55 runs does not mean Sri Lanka’s cricket is over. We have won matches. We are champions in Asia Cup Twenty20 and runners up in Asia Cup in One Day. The team and the board should find out what went wrong, where did we go wrong.”
“We need to find out whether there are errors in our practice, whether the players are making mistakes or whether the high-performance center has made a mistake. We are talking about what is seen from outside. But we need to plan properly what the next step will be.”
He feels that there is a need to prepare from now, keeping an eye on the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup and the 2027 ODI World Cup.
For that, Sri Lanka has to look into its own history.
After winning the World Cup in 1996, Sri Lanka had to accept a heavy defeat in the 1999 World Cup. But his cricket recovered, blossomed and flourished.
Even now it is necessary to rise again from the ashes. For their country and also for cricket.