Sri Lanka Court reinstates sacked cricket board

In a significant turn of events, Sri Lanka's Court of Appeal has quashed the decision by the country's sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe, to dismiss the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board and reinstated the expelled officials. The decision comes after the minister sacked the entire cricket board after a humiliating defeat against India. 

The SLC board had been dissolved by Ranasinghe, following a series of poor performances by the Sri Lankan national cricket team. The minister appointed an interim committee to run the board in the meantime, reported AFP.

"The restoring of the board is for two weeks when the court will hear the case again," a court official was quoted as saying in the AFP report.

"The restoring of the board is for two weeks, when the court will hear the case again," a court official said.

Following the court's ruling, board officials, including SLC president Shammi Silva, returned to work on November 7. They expressed satisfaction with the court's decision and stated that they would focus on improving the performance of the national team.

The government has also formed a cabinet committee to handle the board's "unresolved issues."

The court ruled that Ranasinghe's decision to sack the SLC board was "unlawful" and "procedurally flawed." The court also noted that the government had failed to provide any evidence to support its claims of misconduct against the SLC officials.

The Court of Appeal's ruling in their favor has further fueled the ongoing leadership clash and highlighted the deep-rooted issues within Sri Lankan cricket.

Ranatunga, the 1996 World Cup-winning skipper, had vowed to clean up the board and rebuild the national team after taking over as head of the interim committee.

"Sri Lanka Cricket had become known as the most corrupt institution in the country," Ranatunga said on Monday.

"I want to change that image.”

Ranasinghe has been at odds with Sri Lanka Cricket, the island's richest sports organisation, for months amid suspicions of widespread corruption.

Amidst these off-field developments, Sri Lanka's World Cup prospects remain uncertain. Currently occupying the seventh position in the table with four points from seven matches, the team faces an uphill battle to secure a spot in the coveted fourth position. While they need to win their remaining two matches, favorable outcomes from other games are also essential for their qualification hopes.

On the field, Sri Lanka's performance has been far from encouraging. In their recent encounter against India, the team suffered a crushing defeat, managing to score only 55 runs in response to India's impressive total of 357 for 8. This dismal performance has raised further concerns about the state of Sri Lankan cricket and the team's ability to compete at the highest level.

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