da betano casino： As Sri Lankan players rest their weary limbs after five months on thegruelling international circuit, the prolonged struggle for control of thecountry’s ruling cricket body rumbles on with an intensity that thecricketers would struggle to surpass
Charlie Austin03-May-2001As Sri Lankan players rest their weary limbs after five months on thegruelling international circuit, the prolonged struggle for control of thecountry’s ruling cricket body rumbles on with an intensity that thecricketers would struggle to surpass.Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of the sacked cricket board, revealedthe latest twist to an increasingly tiresome tale, when he announced todaythat he had filed a complaint at the Cinnamon Gardens Police station whichaccused the Interim Committee, who were appointed by the Sports Minister fourweeks ago, of fraudulently distributing the cricket board’s funds and takingunlawful possession of board property.This is just the latest in a string of legal petitions, orders, and actions.It is a devilishly complicated affair and, in a country where the legalsystem is notoriously cumbersome, a simple resolution is unlikely.The logic of the outgoing cricket board’s argument is quite clear, even ifthe legal uncertainty is frustrating. Sumathipala’s clan believes that theSports Minister made a blunder. He dismissed them on a proceduraltechnicality, but then made a procedural mistake of his own.If he had suspended the board, as happened after the 1999 AGM, thenSumathipala would have had to have accepted that he was now out of politicalfavour and gone back to attend to his burgeoning commercial empire.As it was, however, the Sports Minister dissolved the board and broke theSports Law, which states that the Minister can order the dissolution, butthe board must then wind up its affairs. Moreover, Sumathipala’s legalteam is convinced that the subsequent appointment of the Interim Committeewas unlawful.Legal nit-picking perhaps, but there is some logic. If the Board of Controlfor Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) has been dissolved, then how can theInterim Committee dig into the board’s financial coffers? Sumathipala isconfident they cannot and as soon as the Interim Committee signed theirfirst cheque he marched down to the police station to complain.Some of the country’s cricket clubs and associations met this weekto continue the attack on the Sports Ministry. They passed a resolutiondemanding a return to democracy and appointed a steering committee torepresent the membership until the BCCSL is reinstated.Tomorrow, it’s back to the courts, as the secretary and treasurer of thedissolved board argue in the Court of Appeal that the dissolution of theboard was unlawful and that they should be immediately reinstated.The Interim Committee, led by Vijaya Malalsekera, have remained tight-lipped. They, like others, are awaiting with interest the outcome oftomorrow’s hearing in the Court of Appeal. With the support of the SportsMinister, who allegedly has the full support of the government and the mainopposition party, one suspects, however, that they are quietly confident.The crucial test of the Interim Committee’s legitimacy will be the banks,who operate the cricket board’s accounts and will want to protect their backsfrom Sumathipala’s hungry lawyers. If their legal advisors believe thatthe Interim Committee does not have the necessary authority to distribute theboard’s funds then the Minister may well be forced to reinstate theboard.In the meantime, it is the cricketers who are likely to lose out. A powervacuum in Sri Lankan cricket’s controlling body will slow downdecision-making and water down policies. The players will become frustrated,and beating a resurgent Indian side in the forthcoming Test series willbecome an even greater challenge than it already is.