Second-highest Sri Lanka cricket official quits

COLOMBO: A top Sri Lanka cricket official quit Sunday after the country’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe called for the cricket board to resign, accusing them of corruption following a record World Cup defeat.

Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mohan de Silva, the board’s second highest ranking official, told AFP that he had sent his resignation from Australia where he had been diagnosed with a heart condition.

Sri Lanka’s humiliating 302-run World Cup thrashing by hosts India last week prompted a public outcry with Ranasinghe saying the Sri Lanka Cricket officials had no moral or ethical right to remain in office.

“They should voluntarily resign,” he said.

De Silva said he had been diagnosed during a routine medical check-up in Australia and decided to resign from his elected position on the board.

He said his medical condition was “obviously due to the stress and anxiety surrounding controversies in cricket,” adding his family had asked him to step down.

Sri Lanka were at one point 14-6 and were all out for 55, the fourth-lowest World Cup total in history, while chasing India’s 358 in Mumbai on Thursday.

On Saturday Ranasinghe wrote to full members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking for their understanding and support.

“Sri Lanka Cricket has been besieged with complaints of player disciplinary issues, management corruption, financial misconduct, and match-fixing allegations,” Ranasinghe said in the letters, released to Sri Lankan media.

The minister was forced by the ICC to withdraw a three-member panel he had appointed last month to investigate corruption at the board after it was deemed to be political interference.

Board sources said coaching staff had been called to explain the crushing defeat to India.

Sri Lanka have not won the World Cup since 1996, with Ranasinghe blaming the board for the “deterioration” of standards.

Another cabinet minister, Prasanna Ranatunga who is the brother of World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, told parliament in August that the 1996 victory had been “the biggest curse for our cricket.”

“Money started flowing to the cricket board after 1996 and with that came those who wanted to steal,” he said.