Sri Lanka's sports minister Harin Fernando on Tuesday reversed the dismissal of the country's cricket board, aiming to resolve the allegations of corruption and lift the suspension imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Fernando's decision is a strategic move to address the ICC's concerns about "government interference" in the cricket board's administration, potentially paving the way for the board's reinstatement. The ongoing saga, marked by accusations and controversies, led to the removal of Fernando's predecessor, who even claimed an assassination attempt by Sri Lanka's president.
Posting on X (formerly known as Twitter), Fernando stated, "I signed a gazette to revoke the decision appointing an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket, aiming to lift our ICC suspension."
Today, I signed a gazette to revoke the decision appointing an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket, aiming to lift our ICC suspension. I've also written to the ICC, seeking their observations on the Auditor General's report on SLC, and to the AG dept for future actions.
— Harin Fernando (@fernandoharin) December 12, 2023
Additionally, he revealed that he had sought the ICC's input on an audit report investigating alleged corruption by the board during the T20 World Cup in Australia last year.
As of now, the ICC has not provided an immediate response to Fernando's actions. The preceding sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, dismissed the elected board in November, accusing its office-bearers of gross corruption. The ICC responded by suspending Sri Lanka, citing a failure to prevent political interference.
The corruption controversy within the cricket board, a prominent entity in Sri Lanka's financially strained landscape, led to Ranasinghe's removal last month. The former sports minister had clashed with President Ranil Wickremesinghe over the governance of Sri Lanka Cricket, refusing to reverse the board's dismissal as demanded by the president.
