Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has slammed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah for ruining the Sri Lankan cricket. Arjuna’s statements came following their debacle in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Arjuna Ranatunga has accused Jay Shah of using his influential position to dismantle Sri Lanka Cricket.
Arjuna Ranatunga Accused Jay Shah Of Using Political Power
During the recent talk show with journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama, Arjuna Ranatunga made bold claims that Jay Shah uses his father’s political connections.
“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,” said Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning captain.
“He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s home Minister.”
He also claimed that Shah used his political connections to appoint Sourav Ganguly as the president of BCCI in 2019 and when Ganguly rеsistеd Shah’s push to еntеr politics, he was rеmovеd from thе BCCI prеsidеncy in 2022.
The entire Sri Lanka Cricket Board Was Suspended
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect because of government interference in administration which had been in tumultuous waters for the last week.
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.”
The suspension came just a day after Sri Lanka’s campaign in the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in India came to an end with a 5-wicket defeat to New Zealand in Bengaluru.
Sri Lanka had an embarrassing time in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 as they won two while losing seven games. Sri Lanka ended their campaign in ninth place, putting their qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy in jeopardy.
