Forrmer Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga says Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been controlled by India due to the latter’s financial clout.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently been accused of exerting pressure on SLC and it was further confirmed yesterday when former BCCI Chief I. S. Bindra said that an Indian Board official had exerted pressure on his Sri Lankan counterparts to withdraw a report on anti-corruption law violations.
The incident took place in 2010, according to Bindra. It was reported in the media but the BCCI and the SLC denied those reports vehemently.
“Not only the SLC but the ICC as well is under the thumb of India,” Ranatunga told The Island yesterday. “A few individuals on the Indian Board decide how cricket should be played and governed beyond India. Today, Indian cricket is stinking because of some questionable elements,” Ranatunga said.
This is not the first time SLC’s subversion to BCCI has been exposed. A few weeks ago, it was revealed that Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews was pressured to vote to safeguard India’s interest when international captains had to express their nominations for the ICC Cricket Committee.
Ranatunga said: “The ICC has to put its foot down. Its priority should be protecting the interest of cricket and certainly not the interests of certain individuals of the Indian board. Where the SLC got it wrong was it tried to run cricket like a business since 2009. As a result, they bow down to BCCI and it is high time it took a long hard look in the mirror.”
President of Indian Cricket Board N. Srinivasan has come under heavy criticism since his son-in-law was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigations into corruption in cricket. The Secretary and Treasurer of the BCCI has stepped down.
“If you analyse the situation properly, through the IPL, the franchises are earning big money, but the game is suffering,” Ranatunga said.
