Arjuna Ranatunga, the former captain of Sri Lanka, has criticized Jay Shah, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), accusing him of negatively impacting Sri Lankan cricket.
Arjuna Ranatunga spoke out in the aftermath of their disappointing performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup, alleging that Jay Shah has utilized his significant influence to disrupt the structure of Sri Lanka Cricket.
In a recent development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has taken the decision to suspend Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect. This move comes in response to concerns about government interference in the administration, which has been facing a tumultuous situation over the past week.
In a recent conversation with journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama, Arjuna Ranatunga confidently asserted that Jay Shah leverages his father’s political ties.
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“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 the 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. He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s home Minister,” said Sri Lanka’s former World Cup Winner Ranatunga.
He asserted that Shah leveraged his political affiliations to nominate Sourav Ganguly as the head of BCCI in 2019. When Ganguly resisted Shah’s encouragement to step into politics, he was ousted from the BCCI presidency in 2022.
Meanwhile, 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.”
Just a day after Sri Lanka bid farewell to the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India, suffering a 5-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Bengaluru, the suspension news hit. The team had a tough campaign in the tournament, managing to secure victory in only two out of nine games. Their journey concluded with a ninth-place finish, and to add to the disappointment, they missed out on qualifying for the Champions Trophy in 2025.
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