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Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has sacked Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka-based Daily Mirror reported. Wickremesinghe announced the decision at the ongoing Cabinet meeting.
On November 6, Roshan Ranasinghe suspended the whole Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board following outrage over Sri Lanka's 302-run defeat against India in the Cricket World Cup, Daily Mirror reported. Ranasinghe also appointed an Interim Committee for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), chaired by World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga. The current committee stands "Temporally Suspended." Ranasinghe had appointed Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning captain in 1996, to oversee a new interim board. A retired Supreme Court judge and a former board president are among the seven members of the newly constituted body. Several Hours after Sri Lanka Sports Minister Roshan Ranasingha established an interim committee led by 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga to take control of SLC, the Court of Appeal on November 7 issued an interim order suspending the operation of the Gazette appointing in respect of cricket governing body's Interim Committee appointed by the Sports Minister, Daily Mirror Online reported. According to Daily Mirror Online, this order was issued by the Court of Appeal in response to a writ petition brought by SLC President Shammi Silva. This order is only valid for 14 days. The court granted board president Shammi Silva's plea, which challenged minister Roshan Ranasinghe's decision to dissolve the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and form an interim committee on Monday. The Sports Minister's move to replace the Sri Lankan Cricket board was not appreciated by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickeramasinghe who rebuked the Sports Minister for his decision. "President Ranil Wickremesinghe told me that if the Cricket Interim Committee is not removed, the Sports Act will be brought under him. I said that the committee will not be removed, I have told the President to remove me from the ministry," the Sports Minister had said in Parliament Sri Lanka cricket was suspended by the ICC SLC following the political slugfest. After hearing representation from SLC, the ICC Board decided that Sri Lanka can continue to compete internationally both in bilateral cricket and ICC events. However, funding to SLC will be controlled by the ICC and the ICC Board confirmed Sri Lanka will no longer host the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024, which will now be held in South Africa. (ANI)
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