FT
Saturday Nov 09, 2024
Tuesday, 7 November 2023 01:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Sri Lankan cricket selectors have responded to Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe’s criticism of selection of the World Cup team, dismissing it as “hilarious” and “politically motivated”.
In a lengthy letter to the Sports Minister, the selectors rejected the criticism in light of the team’s performance during their 2 1⁄2-year tenure, highlighting significant success compared to the period before.
In response to the humiliating defeat against India, the selectors noted that the team they picked was balanced given the circumstances. They also pointed out that none of the teams they selected over the years faced rejection by the Minister regarding selection issues. The selectors concluded their statement with the remark, “If the selections were wrong, the Minister who approved them is also wrong.”
Following Sri Lanka’s humiliating defeat against India, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe called for the resignation of the Sri Lanka Cricket officials, selectors and coaches, and subsequently appointed an interim committee to run cricket under the chairmanship of former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga.