Ranatunga calls for Sumathipala’s resignation

Wednesday, 16 August 2017 00:00 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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  • Following Test defeat Ranatunga slams SLC officials, calls on Dayasiri to take stronger action 
  • Says will write to President with list of improvements within two weeks  

 Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga yesterday called for the resignation of Sri Lanka Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala saying new administrators are essential if the national team was to improve. 

Speaking to journalists, the former captain recalled that he had predicted this state of affairs two years ago and called for strong reforms in the training, administration and selection process of players but had not been heeded.  

“We cannot blame our players for this loss. They are mentally depleted and have to be rebuilt from scratch. We cannot expect this under the current administration,” he said. He insisted the first thing Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera should do was change the top posts of Sri Lanka Cricket and hand them over to people “who act with responsibility and foresight.” Given the severity of the Test loss against India, Ranatunga claimed there was no point in the present officials maintaining their posts and hinted they should resign, much like former Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake.

Minister Ranatunga also charged administrations “no longer have backbones” and take popular decisions, which undermines the long-term talent of the team and its cohesiveness. The former World Cup winner was particularly critical of what he termed as a “nexus between powerful businessmen and administrators” that were preventing him from winning SLC elections.

Ranatunga said he would write a letter to President Maithripala Sirisena over the next two weeks calling for reforms within the cricket administration. He also heaped blame on Sport Minister Jayasekera for failing to control the SLC administration and selection processes. 

“It is not enough for the Sports Minister to talk about the players stomachs and heads. He must conduct investigations into allegations that have been made about the administration and how it is being run. There are allegations that matches between clubs are fixed, that suspicious people were seen in the dressing room during the matches against Zimbabwe. These aspects need to be urgently addressed.” 

He also faulted SLC for frequently changing coaches and allowing local coaches to be poached by international teams rather than enabling them to train Sri Lankan players. He also charged that the matches had been played on pitches that benefitted Indian players more than the local team. 

“These administrators wear ties and sit in comfortable air conditioned offices. They don’t care about the game. They are businessmen; they will stay today and leave tomorrow. But the game of cricket is different. Our people love cricket. Players need to understand they are playing for something more than money. That is the secret to rebuilding this game,” he added.        

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