Arjuna Ranatunga stirs controversy by skipping Sri Lanka cricket brainstorming

Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara convened the day-long meeting, which was held yesterday, where former cricketing greats, former administrators and media personnels participated.

Sri Lanka’s former World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga chose to stay away from a brainstorming session, organised to probe into the Sri Lankan cricket’s decline. “I did not take part. It was not a sports ministry exercise but something done by the current cricket administration itself,” Ranatunga told reporters.

Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara convened the day-long meeting, which was held yesterday, where former cricketing greats, former administrators and media personnels participated.

Sri Lanka team has been on a steady decline since 2014 after the departure of the greats such as Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Thilakaratne Dilshan. They recently lost back-to-back home series against minnows Zimbabwe and the rampant India.

There have been accusations that the current Sri Lanka Cricket administration headed by Thilanga Sumathipala, who is the deputy speaker in parliament from the ruling coalition, is responsible for the team’s present status.

Jayasekara asked why people like Ranatunga and former opening batsman Sidath Wettimuny, who criticise the current setup, did not turn up for the brainstorming session.

“People were making a lot of noises — some said the SLC voting system was wrong and the others said Sumathipala should be sacked. But they did not turn up,” said Jayasekara.

Jayasekara also said that the proposals from different brainstorming sessions held yesterday would be looked into to make the necessary changes in the system.