New minister, old strategy
Sports Minister’s request to form new cricket Interim Committee
Though there was speculation about former Sri Lanka cricket captain and ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama taking over the Lankan cricket reins as its Interim Committee chief, it is not quite so. On Saturday morning banner headlines filled the morning newspapers about the new cricket appointment, Mahanama says that he needs more time to make a firm commitment.
Speaking to the Sunday Times Mahanama said “I need more time to make up my mind. There are more than one angle to ascertain. It is difficult task one should be certain that all angles covered properly.
“At the same time we also must see how the ICC would react to this situation. This is one hurdle that has to be cleared initially.”
Yesterday, the newly appointed sports minister Harin Fernando dropped a bombshell at his inaugural press briefing when he said he prefers an interim committee to run the nation’s cricket board’s (SLC) administration.
The Minister told the Lankan pressmen yesterday, that he was ready to delay the February 7 election of SLC and would talk to ICC on this matter. Already some of the aspirants have already filed their nominations which closed on December 17.
“I am hoping to talk to the ICC on December 26 and 27 to see if they would agree to appoint an interim committee,” Fernando said.
He said it was important for SLC to come under an interim committee until the governing body was cleared of all allegations of corruption by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit.
However, the Sunday Times learns that there is an outside chance of even someone in the caliber of Sidath Wettimuny taking over.
Initially when the UNP government swept into power in 2015, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration was interested in formulating a new cricket constitution when Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake was heading the Sports folio, but, since Dayasiri Jayasekera took over the portfolio as a result of a cabinet reshuffle the status quo changed.
Since the new UNP administration took over the Lankan administration, there is speculation that the 2015 aborted change of the cricket constitution get back into the focus.
(More on Sunday Musings – ST II back page)