Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe sacked the country's Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs and Minister of Irrigation Roshan Ranasinghe during a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday, November 27. Roshan Ranasinghe had earlier accused the President of trying to assassinate him over his work with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
Roshan Ranasinghe sacked an entire SLC board after the senior men's cricket team's embarrassing defeat against India in the Cricket World Cup Cup 2023. He appointed a new committee with the former captain Arjuna Ranatunga handling all cricket operations in the island nation.
Ranasighe's interference in cricket affairs led the International Cricket Council (ICC) to suspend the board's membership effective immediately. ICC also shifted the U19 World Cup 2024 from Sri Lanka to South Africa and stopped the funding till further updates.
However, Sri Lanka are allowed to play international cricket matches, including bilateral series after the SLC's plea to ICC. It will be too early for ICC to consider lifting the ban on Sri Lanka Cricket but the government sacking Roshan Ranasinghe hints at improvement in an out-of-hand situation.
Meanwhile, Ranasinghe was reportedly approached by President Wickremesinghe over the former's decision to place an interim cricket committee. According to the Daily Mirror, Ranasinghe was asked to dismiss the new committee but he refused,
"President Ranil Wickremesinghe told me that if the cricket interim committee is not removed, the Sports Act will be brought under him. I said that the committee will not be removed, I have told the president to remove me from the ministry," Roshan Ranasinghe said in the Parliament.
Sri Lanka endured a poor World Cup 2023 with just two wins in nine group-stage games. Captain Dasun Shanaka missed the majority of the tournament in India due to an injury as the team's performance was hammered largely due to various injuries.
