Arjuna Ranatunga, the captain of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup-winning team, has made serious allegations against Jay Shah, the Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), claiming that he is responsible for the issues facing Sri Lankan cricket.
Notably, during an explosive interview, Ranatunga alleged that the close ties between officials of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and Jay Shah have led to a situation where SLC is submissive to the BCCI. Furthermore, he claimed that the connection between SLC officials and Jay Shah has given the BCCI the impression that they can control and dominate SLC. He went on to say that Jay Shah is essentially running Sri Lanka Cricket and that the pressure from him is ruining SLC. Ranatunga also emphasized that Jay Shah’s power is derived from his father, who is India’s Home Minister.
“Because of the connection between SLC officials and Jay Shah, they (the BCCI) are under the impression that they can trample and control SLC,” Ranatunga was quoted as saying by the 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. He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s home Minister,” the former world champion concluded.
ICC suspended Sri Lankan board post their ODI World Cup 2023 exit
The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) due to political interference in its governance. The Sri Lankan team’s performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 remained quite disappointing, with only two wins from nine matches. These wins came against Afghanistan and the Netherlands, and the team struggled against other opponents.
Sri Lanka finished in ninth place, just above the Netherlands in tenth. As a result of finishing below eighth position, Sri Lanka will not be able to participate in the Champions Trophy 2025 scheduled to be held in Pakistan. It remains to be seen how the ICC and the Sri Lankan Cricket Board will address this ongoing issue.