No godfather in Sri Lanka Cricket now: Sports Minister

Thursday, 2 April 2015 00:20 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Explaining his decision to appoint an Interim Committee to run the affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake yesterday said that “there will be no godfather in Sri Lanka Cricket now.”

The Interim Committee headed by Sidath Wettimuny assumed office yesterday in the backdrop of a circulation of a letter received by the Secretary of the fired administration, Nishantha Ranatunga from Dave Richardson, the ICC Chief Executive Officer. Richardson had warned that a politically appointed Interim Committee could see the expulsion of Sri Lanka from the ICC. “I have the powers under local sports Act to make decisions,” Minister Dissanayake said when asked for his reaction to Richardson’s letter to Ranatunga. Dissanayake said Wettimuny had explained the decision to appoint this committee to Richardson. “There were many questionable deals of the past like television rights and unpaid bills over construction of grounds,” Dissanayake said. “We will hold democratic elections as soon as we investigate all these,” Dissanayake said. According to an AFP report Dissanayake said he hoped that the appointment of an interim management team, headed by former Test player Sidath Wettimuny, would demonstrate the new Government’s determination to “clean up” the governing body which has been beset by accusations of corruption and mismanagement. Pix By Krishan Ranasinghe