Arjuna heads Cricket interim Committee after Minister suspends SL Cricket Board

Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has appointed former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga to head an interim committee to run Sri Lanka cricket, a media report said amid a string of losses of the national team, a media report said.

Retired Supreme Court Justices M I M Imam, Rohini Marasinghe, Retired High Court Justice Iranganie Perera, Upali Dharmadasa, Rakitha Rajapaksa, and Hisham Jamaldeen were other members, Sri Lanka’s Derana Television reported.

A string of losses by the national team has led to severe criticism of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.

The Chairman of the newly-appointed Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Interim Committee, World Cup-winning former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga says that he will transform cricket into a game loved by the Sri Lankan cricket audience once again.

Ranatunga, who mentioned that he will provide his maximum support to rebuild cricket in Sri Lanka again, pointed out that his focus will be mainly directed towards uplifting the sport, and that the other members of the committee will deal with the administrative side of Sri Lanka Cricket.

He expressed that his intension is to introduce a new “brand” for the sport of cricket in Sri Lanka.

Moreover, the interim committee’s chairman highlighted that his primary task is to create a group of players who are passionate about the country. He also said that his position is not one that was taken by force.

“I think the minister [Sports Minister] has been looking at this for a long time and after that he has taken this decision with the current state of cricket.

“The people of Sri Lanka are tired of cricket. This has now become the most corrupt institution in Sri Lanka”, he added.

“My hope is to change all this and make a cricket team and institution that the fans love, and to produce some players who are passionate of the country”.

Further, Ranatunga expressed: “I am not going to talk about the law. I’m not good at it.”

“But today we have understood what the public wants. We have been given a job and we will take it over, do it right.”

“If we are told to leave this job, we will of course leave. This is not something we have obtained by force”, he said