Sri Lanka President Ranil WIckremesinghe sacked sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe on Monday amid ongoing controversy in the Sri Lanka Cricket board.
Ranasinghe, who sought to sack the Sri Lanka Cricket board (SLC) and install an interim committee led by Arjun Ranatunga.
However, Ranasinghe has not only been sacked as sports minister, but has also been removed as minister of youth affairs and minister of irrigation - the other portfolios he held. This came after he had earlier on Monday made charges against the president in parliament. It is possible that SLC's suspension by the ICC, which had occurred two weeks earlier, had no impact on his removal.
New Ministers Appointed
After removing Ranasinghe from the post, Harin Fernando sworn in as the Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs before President on Monday at the Presidential Secretariat.
Meanwhile, Pavithra Wanniarachchi sworn in as the Minister of Irrigation.
Why Was Ranasinghe Sacked?
This sacking of Ranasinghe occured following his accusations against the president earlier on Monday in parliament. Additionally, Ranasinghe had routinely charged SLC with mismanagement and corruption. A day later, the courts in Sri Lanka removed the interim committee he had appointed, which included two politicians' sons who had no prior experience running the cricket team. Arjuna Ranatunga led the group.
It is believed that SLC requested an ICC suspension in an effort to exert pressure on the sports minister, who had temporarily fired the cricket board. Sri Lanka lost the right to host the Under-19 men's World Cup, which was originally slated for January and February of 2024, as a result of SLC's suspension.
Ranasinghe's Statement
For drawing attention to corruption in cricket, is this my reward? Ranasinghe spoke of his appointment of an interim committee to oversee Sri Lankan cricket administration, saying, "I took action based on audit reports."
SLC had pleaded with the "upper echelons" of the Sri Lankan government to ensure that politics would not be allowed to re-enter the country's cricket administration.
With IANS inputs
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