• Says CTC should ratify Chithrasiri Committee report in Parliament 
• Insists won't rush to pass judgement on new committee 

Sri Lanka continues to wait with abated breadth nearing a week since the Shammi Silva-led Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration made way for the Eran Wickramaratne helmed Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC) on 29 April, all the while the International Cricket Council (ICC) keeps mum.

However, former Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe who famously was in ICC’s crosshairs three years ago when sacking the same SLC administration, is of the firm opinion that this time the game’s global controlling body would have no alternative but to take the current regime’s actions on the chin.

“This time the former SLC administration had been reportedly asked to resign by no less a figure than the President himself,” Ranasinghe, who paid with his Parliamentary seat over the infamous incident in 2023 told The Daily Morning Sports.

“Back then the former President (Ranil Wickramasinghe), decided not to poke his finger into it for some reason or the other and so I was left to my own devices. I did what I did as per the powers vested in my portfolio. However, the ICC determined it was politically-motivated and suspended us (SL).”

The ex-Minister felt that as far as last week’s voluntary resignation of Silva’s tainted SLC Ex-Co is concerned, it had been orchestrated by the Head of State in a seamless transfer of power and stressed that in such a background the ICC will be forced to play a waiting game.

“It seems this is not an undemocratic move. More than the Sports Minister, the incumbent President had been involved in ensuring the smooth ouster of an elected administration, and that is why I strongly feel that being the reason for the ICC to have adopted a deafening silence over it thus far.”

The former lawmaker from the Polonnaruwa District, was however unwilling to pass any judgement on the formation of the CTC, but stated that the challenge will be on the nine-member panel to ensure the tasks entrusted on it are fulfilled.

The ICC suspended Sri Lanka for two months in November 2023 up to January the following year for the perceived reason of government intervention over board matters, with funding withheld and the 2024 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup being shifted from Sri Lanka to South Africa.

Ranasinghe an outspoken critic of the current NPP Government and who has since joined the Sarwajana Balaya led by entrepreneur turned politician Dilith Jayaweera, added that one of the pressing issues to contend with for the CTC is for the K.T. Chithrasiri Committee report to be ratified in Parliament.

The K.T. Chithrasiri Committee Report is the blueprint for a new constitution and governance structure for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) with it being prepared to fix corruption, political interference and mismanagement in SL cricket.

The ICC stance has been that its accredited members must be autonomous, while an interim committee runs the risk of being in conflict with the world body, if it is appointed by political authority, use its clout to remove elected office-bearers or being involved in operation of cricket decisions, selection, finance or ICC relations.

However, the ICC has also green lit interim committees if they are lawful, independent, time-bound, reform-oriented, transparent, and has a clear timeline for elections.

The current Cricket Transformation Committee is one such mechanism that seems to have got around the global body to bide time for the fulfillment of the aforementioned aspects, but only time could tell whether these actions will test the patience of Jay Shah and company or not.

CTC given three-months in office?

The Cricket Transformation Committee (CTC) formed by the Government last week to run day-to-day affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has been provided a 90-day period to fulfill its tasks, ahead of clearing the decks for an election, The Daily Morning Sports, reliably understands.

It is also learnt that the CTC Head  Eran Wickramaratne had initially sought a 12-month duration to bring forth the desired reforms to SLC, but the President had declined and afforded the said time frame.

In the meantime, two representatives from the ICC are also due in the country this week, to look into the latest developments within SLC and for consultations with the members of the CTC and Sports Ministry officials.