RANJIT FERNANDO APPOINTED SL MANAGER
Charith remains a SLC employee
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday appointed veteran cricket administrator Ranjit Fernando as Manager of the National Team, just three days ahead of the team’s departure to South Africa for the three-match Test series starting with the Boxing Day Test in Port Elizabeth.
Fernando, 72, replaced Charith Senanayake who was removed on Wednesday (7) under controversial circumstances. But officials tried to skirt around the issue using technicalities.
“The Board has taken a decision to appoint the manager on a rotational basis, and not only the manager but other support staff. The former Manager Charith Senanayake is an employee of SLC until his contractual obligations ends. As such he has not been removed,” said CEO Ashely de Silva addressing the media in Colombo.
exclusively reported on Wednesday (7) that SLC is ‘not happy’ with Senanayake’s conduct after it had received a number of complaints and that, hence, he was likely to be replaced.
Speaking at the press conference, Senanayake denied this position quoting SLC Chief Thilanga Sumathipala who had said there were no charges but that SLC was implementing a Board decision on rotation.
“I had a meeting with the President yesterday (Wednesday). I asked him what the allegations against me are. He said ‘no allegation’ but that they have a rotation policy and that’s why they are removing me,” Senanayake said, at the same press conference.
Senanayake will remain a SLC employee till his contractual obligations end in September 2017 but neither he nor the Board could explain in what capacity the outgoing manager would function.
“I also don’t know,” Senanayake said, when questioned about this by journalists.
SLC Secretary Mohan de Silva, who chaired the press conference in the absence of SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala, struggled to explain what Senanayake’s future functions would be.
Senanayake, a former Sri Lanka cricketer, also made a sweeping attack on which exclusively reported his impending sacking but refrained from naming the paper.
“When you report, please take responsibility in what you report. Because if you have any personal agendas, yes you can lash out it [sic]. It’s not only me, but lots of people have been targeted over the years. But you got to understand that when you write things like that, which are not true, without checking facts, you hurt a lot of people around us,” a visibly upset Senanayake said responding to a question.
“I hope the paper that wrote the article, that stinking article that I am axed, will write an article and clear my name and be on record I will not give any exclusive and I will not give any further exposure to the paper [sic],” Senanayake added.
The writer of the concerned article (published on 07th December 2016), wishes to place on record that he at no time requested any exclusive interview from Senanayake on the issue but to the contrary it was Senanayake who offered to speak to the paper following the publication of the concerned article. The at no time published any stinkers nor slung mud at him but only confirmed and exclusively reported his impending removal.