With its power and might to do as it pleases while governing a sport that sometimes caters to followers of hysterical proportions, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been stripped down to the bone by the Sri Lankan Parliament that until now allowed cricket to be in the hands of a ‘chosen few’ in the country.
Having banned Sri Lanka Cricket citing government interference with an Interim Committee in place of an elected body, the ICC which plays closed-door politics and changes office-bearers from country to country in a game of musical chairs was exposed in all its hypocrisy.
It found an unexpected and sworn rival in Opposition Leader of the Sri Lankan Parliament Sajith Premadasa who gave the ICC more than it bargained for as he read out what he said were five occasions that the global keeper of the sport had sanctioned playing international tournaments in the Sri Lanka.
In 2000 Sri Lanka hosted the Under-19 World Cup, in 2002 Sri Lanka hosted the ICC Champions Trophy, in 2006 Sri Lanka hosted the Under-19 World Cup, in 2011 Sri Lanka co-hosted the Men’s World Cup and in 2012 Sri Lanka hosted the T20 World Cup all while a government sanctioned Interim Committee was in place, said Premadasa.
He then called on President Ranil Wickremasinghe as head of State to hold an inquiry against what he referred to as traitors who called on the ICC to ban Sri Lanka.
On the same day lawyer Uditha Igalahewa representing Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe in court said that the ICC had banned a democracy like Sri Lanka and recognized the internationally blacklisted Taliban as the legitimate governor of cricket in Afghanistan.
