‘Five years’ to resolve SLC crisis; unfair to discuss Dilshan’s sacking - Upali

The newly elected president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has once again has predicted that at least five years will be needed to resolve its financial crisis.

Upali Dharmadasa, who was elected uncontested on 03 January, said the SLC will get a considerable amount of income from future tours of other Test playing nations by 2020.

“We have almost completed the assessment of outstanding payments so I think, in my personal opinion, it will take at least five years to come out of all this,” he told BBC Sinhala service, Sandeshaya.

“Even my own private company might face a similar situation so what is needed is a long-term plan to come out of it.”

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has earlier strongly criticised Mr Dharmadasa for predicting five years to recover from the crisis.

“I am going to teach him a lesson today when we meet in the evening. I am going to talk to the SLC President today and explain to him that there is nothing so big like that. Some people try to conjure things up to the media in order to become heroes,” he told the journalists in Colombo, last week.

But the SLC president says the minister was misquoted by the media.

“I spoke to the minister and on the next day the minister had issued a correction that he did not say anything like that,” responded Mr Dharmadasa.

Mr Dharmadasa added that it is unfair “even to discuss” about sacking Tilakaratne Dilshan from captaincy as it is normal for cricket to make progress as well as setbacks “as in our life.”

“Not only Sri Lanka, even if you look at other countries India also lost three Tests to Australia,” he added.

The SLC will discuss all the issues with the select committee, he said, as making any changes in the team including the captaincy is up to the selectors.

“I don’t think it is fair to sack the captain merely because he lost a series.”