In an unprecedented development, the Sports Minister, Dayasiri Jayasekera last night had ordered all nine Sri Lanka ODI players heading to India for the Limited Over leg of the current series to return home as they were leaving the country without his approval. At the time of the Minister’s intervention, the players had even boarded the flight to Delhi but had to disembark.
The Minister said, the team was leaving the country without his approval, a blatant violation of the country’s Sports Law which requires the incumbent Sports Minister’s approval.
Sri Lanka Cricket said that the team was sent for Ministry approval last evening, giving less than six hours for the Minister to approve the team.
“How can I approve a team at such short notice,” the Minister asked.
“If you go by the Sports Law, it requires to send the team three weeks to the Ministry, prior to leaving and here they are sending a team just 3-4 hours before leaving the country. So I had to recall them,” the angry Minister said.
“I have nothing against the players. In fact Thisara (Perera) called me last night from the flight and said ‘Sir we have already boarded’. But I told him nothing doing. If I allowed them to go, I am setting a precedent here.”
Sports Minister will now meet the selectors, board officials and skipper Thisara Perera this afternoon before approving the team.
“They can go tonight but I don’t want it to happen again,” he added.
The selectors decided a squad of 15 players for the limited over series on Friday but were to meet again on Monday to finalize the final squad as there had been some disagreement over some players.
Sources said the board wanted the selectors to reconsider their decision to omit, Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera from the squad.
Chandimal, the highest run getter in the current series with two 50s and a century, has been dropped along with Kusal Perera, an aggressive left-handed batter, who is reportedly had not got enough match practice.
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