Exclusive
Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickramsinghe on Tuesday met World Cup winning legendary Captain Arjuna Ranatunga and former Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake to discuss about the current status of the game in the Island, Cricket Age reliably learns. Current Sports Minister Harin Fernando was also summoned by Prime Minister for the meeting.
In last one and half years, Sri Lanka Cricket has been in news, however for all wrong reasons. During SLFP Sports Minister Faizer Mustapha tenure, a 5.5 million dollars fraud was attempted, some of the high profile former players were banned by International Cricket Council (ICC) in match fixing charges and national team’s performance has also become a big concern. In the recently concluded World Cup as well, Sri Lanka were knocked out from the group stage in embarrassing fashion, with only three wins in nine matches!
According to sources, Prime Minister discussed in length about the continues failing of Sri Lanka cricket team and other issues which are hindering game’s progress, with iconic Arjuna Ranatunga and Harin Fernando. Cricket Age learns that later Navin Dissanayake, former Sports Minister and one of the most genuine cricket loving personality, also met Prime Minister and had a lengthy discussion on the same issues.
It is noteworthy that in December last year Harin Fernando had arrived with big promises of cleaning up the sport and revamping it from top to bottom. However seven months on, he has failed miserably and has done nothing to prove that he is serious about his task. All this time, Harin was busy in making 5 million theme song for World Cup, suggesting MSD officers for UK trip with world cup team, promoting Badulla Cricket Stadium and going and returning and going again for World Cup matches (and it’s all on his own expenses, as per his claims).
“Honorable Prime Minister showed his concern over the current status of the game in the country. As Honorable Arjuna Ranatunga and Honorable Navin Dissanayake are two of the most prominent person’s in Sri Lanka to discuss about the cricket, Honorable Prime Minister took their suggestions” an insider of Prime Minister office told Cricket Age.
Moreover, Cricket Age exclusively learns that during the discussion, Prime Minister insisted to put an interim committee in order to bring Sri Lanka Cricket back on track!
“Honorable Prime Minister has insisted that urgent necessary steps are need of hour to arrest the slide of cricket in the country otherwise it will be too late. Appointing an interim committee is one of such step” the highly placed insider at Prime Minister office added further.
