Sri Lanka drug buster takes up fight against cricket corruption | Sunday Observer

Sri Lanka drug buster takes up fight against cricket corruption

11 April, 2021
Prof Arjuna de Silva
Prof Arjuna de Silva

An intellectual anti-doping crusader in Sri Lanka is planning to do what no pundit or purist has succeeded in to make the country’s corruption-ridden cricket administration a cleaned-up entity within a month.

Claiming to see himself only as a messiah on a mission, Professor Arjuna de Silva has become the instant head of cricket’s governing body as more questions have been raised over financial misdeeds running into millions in dollars like never before.

He entered the fray last Monday as the government was forced to install what is being called a Management Committee to hold the fort until May 20 when an election of office bearers to run cricket is held.

“We have had so much of a Bad Press (public exposure to financial misdeeds) and my priority will be to look into streamlining the Accounts and legal aspects of Contracts that have been signed and be more transparent”, said Prof Arjuna de Silva who until now was serving only as the head of Sri Lanka’s anti-doping agency for the prevention of illegal drugs in sports.

But nothing large scale is expected to change as De Silva’s appointment is been seen as a cover-up until the same old administrators that he replaced are back in the saddle next month expected to win the May 20 election.

De Silva though refuses to project himself as a stooge saying he is on no one’s side and will do what his government mandate requires of him.

“We want to open out things and show that things are not as bad as it is or bad or whatever. We don’t have a personal agenda. I am not in anyone’s (election) camp”, said De Silva.

The administration of cricket in the country has currently been brought onto its knees over accusations of large scale corruption and nepotism taking centre stage while a Court ruling for an overhaul of the system remains pending.

De Silva made no secret that sports psychology, player fitness and cautioning cricketers, most of whom come from financially unstable homesteads, with the right mindset to handle massive amounts of money that flow into their pockets through professional contracts will also be a priority.

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