Ranil bats for Sanga

Friday, 15 July 2011 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Sri Lankan opposition said it is fully behind cricketer Kumar Sangakkara and the statement he had made at en event in England recently.

Sri Lanka’s opposition leader Ranil Wickramesinghe told reporters Wednesday that Sri Lankan cricket authorities had no need to investigate the statement made by Sangakkara.

Sangakkara had launched a scathing attack on the endless political power-struggles in Sri Lanka’s cricket administration in a speech at an event in London last week.

Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage later ordered an inquiry into the speech which mentioned about the past cricket board and politics in the game.

In his speech in London Sangakkara said since Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup victory, the cricket administration in the island had changed “from a volunteer-led organization run by well-meaning men of integrity into a multimillion-dollar organization that has been in turmoil ever since.”

“Accountability and transparency in administration and credibility of conduct were lost in a mad power struggle that would leave Sri Lankan cricket with no consistent and clear administration,” Sangakkara said.

Wickramasinghe said Sangakkara made the speech as a cricketer and as a youth and it came from the heart so he should not be targeted for that.

Sangakkara led Sri Lanka to the final of the cricket world cup played in the Indian sub-continent this year but eventually lost in the final to India.

After the world cup Sangakkara resigned as captain but continues as a national player in the team and has been in good form during the recent series in England. Source:Xinhua