Arjuna Ranatunga ACCUSSES BCCI’s Jay Shah For Downfall of Sri Lanka Cricket

New Delhi: Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga accused Jay Shah, thе Prеsidеnt of thе Asian Crickеt Council (ACC) and Sеcrеtary of thе Board of Control for Crickеt in India (BCCI), of using his position to dismantlе Sri Lanka Crickеt.

“Because of the connection between SLC officials and Jay Shah they (the BCCI) are under the impression that they can trample and control SLC,” Arjuna Ranatunga was quoted by Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror.

“Jay Shah is running Sri Lanka Cricket. SLC is being ruined because of pressure from Jay Shah. One man in India is ruining Sri Lankan cricket,” said Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup winning captain.

“He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s home Minister.”

Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect due to government interference in administration, which had been in tumultuous waters for the last week. It added that the conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course.

The huge development comes just a day after Sri Lanka’s campaign in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India came to an end with a five-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Bengaluru. In the tournament, Sri Lanka won two while losing seven games to end their campaign in ninth place, with its qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy in jeopardy as they are out of the top eight teams in the points table.

In the meeting held on Friday, the ICC said in a statement its Board “determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka.”