Ranatunga lead to protest alongside SLC

Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga helped launch a complaint on Thursday against alleged dishonesty in the governing body and the politicization of its management.

Ranatunga is now a resistance lawmaker in Sri Lanka and connected several others to launch a appeal on Thursday in Colombo, demanding an end to the government appoint interim committees to run Sri Lanka Cricket.

Cricket officials were accuse of corruption and misconduct as the governing body accumulate US$ 69 million in debt after co-hosting the World Cup with India and Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka's sports minister fired the preceding administration earlier this month and selected another temporary five-man committee.

Ranatunga said the government has politicized cricket and other sports by appoint provisional committees to run their administration.

"Sri Lanka Cricket has become broke and establishment has no interest in rectify this sad situation," he said.

He calls on the public "to join hands to stop political intrusion and restore the image of sports."

SLC has been run by consecutive interim committees, picked by politicians, for seven years.

The International Cricket Council this month generally decided to amend its laws to make free elections compulsory for all national bodies by mid-2012.

Sri Lankan establishment have said election for SLC will be held next year.

In March, the International Rugby Board poised the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union from full IRB member status after failing to conduct suitable board elections, and restored the membership weeks later after election were held properly.

Netball is also run by a temporary committee, but the sport's officials have said elections will be held shortly for the alliance.

Ranatunga, who played for Sri Lanka from 1982 to 2000, led the national team in 1996 when the team hit Australia in the final to win the World Cup.

Cricket is the most popular and wealthiest sport in the country, but internal strife among those seeking a spot on the Board and political interfering has resulted in elections for office holders not being held for seven years.

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Twelve Indians intended for 'SL Premier League'

As many as twelve Indian cricketers, with Munaf Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, are predictable to feature in the first version of the Sri Lankan Premier League this year.

According to a statement, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has protected the services of several famous overseas cricketers, with Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, who are currently occupied in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Apart from Gayle, whose sweltering stroke play has put the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the top of the point table in the fourth version of the IPL, SLPL is also predictable to feature Daniel Vettori, whose IPL journey was cut short after a chronic knee injury.

Among the Indian players on the SLPL radar, the enclosure of Patel and Ashwin as well Praveen Kumar, who was lately selected for the West Indies tour after not present the ICC World Cup due to an prod injury, comes as a surprise as the trio is likely to be on national duty during that period.

India is planned to visit England during the month of July for a four-match Test series follow by a one-day event and a one-off Twenty20 match.

The other Indian players who shape in the list posted by the website take in Dinesh Karthik, Irfan Pathan, Manish Pandey, Manoj Tiwary, Paul Valthaty, Ravindra Jadeja, Saurabh Tiwary, Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar.

The inventory, which in all skin 33 overseas players so far, also include the names of David Warner, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Akmal, Albie Morkel, Herschelle Gibbs, Kevin O'Brien and Tamim Iqbal among others.

Basnahira Western region Bears, Kandurata Hill Country Kites, Nagenahira East Nagas, Ruhunu South Rhinos, Uthuru North Oryxes, Uva South Western Unicorns and Wayamba North Western Wolves are the franchise in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League which will be play between July 19 and August 4 this year at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

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