(Image Source: Sri Lanka Social)
[Saba Sports News] On November 24, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) leveled accusations against the Ministry of Sports for providing misleading information about the usage of a Rs. 289 million grant given by SLC to the National Sports Fund. SLC pointed out several inconsistencies between the details in a document they received under the Rights to Information (RTI) Act from the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the figures in a media release from the Ministry.
SLC noted that the Ministry’s media release on November 13, 2023, listed expenditures on 47 items using the Rs. 289 million grant from SLC.
However, the RTI document revealed expenditures on 67 activities, not the 47 stated in the media release. An evaluation of both the media release and the RTI document showed discrepancies in the figures of 33 items. SLC has thus called on the Ministry of Sports to clarify these differences to ensure transparency and accountability.
In a separate development, SLC announced that Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera were initially selected for the 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 despite not having fully recovered from their injuries. However, the Ministry of Sports did not approve their selection as the National Sports Selection Committee required medical clearance for the players.
SLC had hoped to send them to India to join the World Cup squad post-recovery. Chameera eventually joined the squad in India along with Angelo Mathews as reserves, following additional injuries in the team. Chameera played four matches and Mathews played five in the tournament, where Sri Lanka finished ninth with two wins from seven matches.