Lanka’s double trouble — ICC Ex-co seat and access to funds denied
The SLC Interim Committee is scheduled to urgently meet tomorrow to ascertain what steps it should take with regard to the ICC’s holding on to funds due to Sri Lanka on a charge of Political interference in matters with regard to cricket.
Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lankan cricket Ashley de Silva told the Sunday Times that the Interim Committee Secretary Prakash Schaffter was down to call up the membership for this urgent meeting.
SLC Interim Committee to meet tomorrow to discuss further action on the prevailing situation. (Pic Amila Gamage)
On 16 April the ICC held one of its quarterly meetings in Dubai and first time since 1982 – when the country was granted full membership of the ICC – Sri Lanka failed hold a seat in the forum.
The Lankan Interim Committee did send in their representative — Nuski Mohammed to the forum, but, the ICC only invited him to state the reasons and the justifications for installing an Interim Committee, and was asked to be present only as an observer. Nuski Mohammed refused that offer and Sri Lanka went in minus a seat in the ICC executive committee.
It is learned the ICC has withheld a sum of around US$ 16 million and held in an escrow account.
The full ICC release reads as:
‘ICC Board takes steps to investigate apparent government interference in Sri Lanka
“The ICC Board today considered the implications of the appointment of an Interim Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by the Government of Sri Lanka and whether this may be a breach of the ICC’s constitution which requires free and fair elections for office-bearers within Member boards.
“After considerable discussion, and without making a final decision on the matter, the ICC Board supported a recommendation of the ICC Governance Review Committee that it should write to the Sports Minister of Sri Lanka seeking a full and proper explanation of its intervention that prima facie puts SLC in breach of the ICC’s constitution.
“The Board further decided that, pending the satisfactory resolution of this matter, the next financial distribution due from the ICC to SLC will not be advanced to SLC and will, instead, be held in an escrow account.
“Notwithstanding the Board’s decision, Mr Nuski Mohamed – a nominee of the Interim Committee – was given the opportunity to provide information about the status of the Interim Committee, following which he was invited to attend the ICC Board meeting as an observer on behalf of the interests of cricket in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, Mr. Mohamed declined to attend the meeting on these terms and as a result there was no representative from Sri Lanka at the meeting.
“The recent media comments of the Sri Lankan Sports Minister suggesting that the ICC was ‘colluding’ with former SLC officials were also noted and the ICC Board expressed its disappointment with the inaccurate nature of these comments. Moving forward the ICC hopes to progress this matter constructively with the Government of Sri Lanka for the good of all cricketing interests in Sri Lanka.
“The ICC Board consists of the nominated representatives of each of the 10 Full Members plus three elected Associate Member representatives. The meeting is chaired by Mr Narayanaswami Srinivasan. Also present is the ICC Chief Executive.
List of participants at the meeting were: ICC Chairman — Narayanaswami Srinivasan, ICC Chief Executive – David Richardson, Australia – Wally Edwards, Bangladesh – Nazmul Hassan, England – Giles Clarke, India – Narayanaswami Srinivasan, New Zealand – Greg Barclay, Pakistan – Shaharyar M. Khan, South Africa – Chris Nenzani, Sri Lanka – No attendee, West Indies – Dave Cameron, Zimbabwe – Wilson Manase, Associate Member Director (Bermuda)- Neil Speight, Associate Member Director (Namibia) — Francois Erasmus, Associate Member Director (Singapore) — Imran Khawaja.
(For further detailsread Sunday Musings on Page 24)
Vaas case to be taken up
Meanwhile the SLC Interim Committee had extended the Lankan Fast Bowling Coach Chaminda Vass’ contract by one month before they take a final decision on the former iconic fast bowlers future with Sri Lanka cricket.
According to Ashley de Silva – the SLC CEO, the committee is due to meet in their normal session on April 22 and will probe further into the matter.
Earlier the Vaas controversy became a high profile case when the coach was almost sidelined during the last stages of the Sri Lanka tour of New Zealand and through the 2015 World Cup in New Zealand and Australia.
At one point the then executive committee almost recalled the fast bowler and tried to send the other fast bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake. But once Ramanayake refused make the tour on personal grounds, another former Sri Lanka fast bowler and fast bowling coach Rumesh Ratnayake was drafted in and he stayed till the end of the World Cup tournament.