Sri Lanka govt apologises to Jay Shah over Arjuna Ranatunga's comments

The Sri Lankan government has expressed regret to the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Jay Shah, over remarks made by former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who led the country to World Cup victory in 1996.

The government said that it "deeply regrets" the remarks made by Ranatunga, who had accused Shah of "interfering" in Sri Lankan cricket.

This comes after Arjuna Ranatunga made a controversial statement in which he accused Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), of being responsible for the decline of Sri Lankan cricket.

"Because of the connection between SLC officials and Jay Shah, they (the BCCI) are under the impression that they can trample and control SLC. 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. He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s Home Minister," Ranatunga had said.

During today's parliamentary session, both Ministers Harin Fernando and Kanchana Wijesekara expressed regret over the remarks. They stressed that the duty belongs with the Sri Lankan administration rather than other groups.

"We as a government express our regret to the Asian Cricket Council Cheif Jay Shah. We cannot point our hands at the Asian Cricket Council Secretary or other countries for the shortcomings of our institutions. It is a wrong assumption," Minister Wijesekera said.

Meanwhile, Harin Fernando, the Minister of Tourism, stated that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has commenced contact with Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in order to remedy the International Cricket Council (ICC) ban placed on Sri Lanka Cricket.

Minister Harin Fernando warned that the ICC ban could have a negative influence on the country, notably the upcoming under-19 Cricket World Cup in January of the following year.

"If the ICC ban is not lifted, no one will visit Sri Lanka for the tournament. Sri Lanka will also not earn a single penny from the cricket tournament," he said.

Earlier this month, the International Cricket Council's Board declared that Sri Lanka Cricket's membership in the ICC has been terminated with immediate effect.

“The ICC Board met today and 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,” the ICC said in a statement.

The ban comes after an increasingly heated dispute between the SLC and Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe.

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