Removal of interim cricket committee is welcome

Two weeks ago, Sports Minister Harin Fernando revoked the gazette issued by the former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, who appointed an interim committee led by Arjuna Ranatunga for Sri Lanka Cricket. Often Ranatunga portrays himself as a crusader against corruption while the media depicts him as a holier-than-thou personality. However, the truth is far from such characterisations.

Many are unaware that Ranatunga was appointed as Chairman of Interim Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket in 2008, and his short tenure as Chief of the controlling body of the nation’s most popular sport was a dismal failure. His dreadful style of administration 15 years ago was summed up by The Sunday Times Editorial on 23 November, 2008, as follows: “Mr. Ranatunga, who some say used his vote in Parliament to bat his way into the cricketing presidency, believes that it is only cricketers who can run the game in the country. But since he took control of the interim committee, cricket administration seems to have gone from crisis to crisis. It is with great sadness, cricket lovers hear increasing reports about Mr. Ranatunga’s authoritarianism”. 

Although the former MP is a vociferous advocate against bribery and corruption in public platforms, he and his elder brother were accused of corruption and mismanagement by trade unions attached to the Port Authority when the former cricketer was Minister of Ports during the Sirisena administration. Many consider him as a national hero, as he led Sri Lanka to its greatest sporting achievement – 1996 World Cup victory. Nevertheless, it is conveniently forgotten that under his captaincy, the national cricket team was knocked out from the very first round during the 1999 World Cup.

President Wickremesinghe made the correct choice when he replaced showman Roshan Ranasinghe with dynamic Harin Fernando as Minister of Sports. The new Sports Minister has proven himself in his original portfolio of Tourism. Sport is in the blood of the new minister, as he was a keen ruggerite during his school days for the prestigious St. Joseph’s College. When Fernando held the portfolio of Sports during the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe Government, he brought the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, which made Sri Lanka the first South Asian country to criminalise several wrongdoings related to match-fixing. In that period, Fernando also banned the controversial Thilanga Sumathipala from holding any position in the Cricket Board.

The new Sports Minister has an enormous task at hand given the mess his predecessor had left. Cricket, Football, and Rugby – Sri Lanka’s three most popular sports – were banned by their respective international associations during the reign of Ranasinghe due to his bull in a china shop approach. His decision to sack the governing authority of Cricket while the World Cup was underway in India was nothing but a manifestation of sheer arrogance and short-sightedness. The image which is communicated by the media of the former minister as an upright individual certainly does not represent the reality, as the Polonnaruwa District MP has numerous skeletons in his cupboard. Last month, a land cruiser jeep, which had been smuggled to the country, was seized by Police during a raid on a vehicle yard in Dambulla allegedly belonging to Ranasinghe’s company – Euro Nipon. This seemingly demolished his claims of being a flag bearer against financial malpractices.

Be that as it may, the cricket administration of the country leaves much to be desired. It is pathetic to hear that national pool cricketers do not even have access to a swimming pool at R. Premadasa stadium – where their training sessions are held – to recover after practices. Cricket fans in Sri Lanka would expect Fernando to address such shortcomings and restore the status of the game back to its glorious days.