Sri Lanka Cricket officials under thundering scrutiny-BY CALLISTUS DAVY

As their keepers were investigated for financial misdeeds, some of Sri Lanka’s cricketers also failed a fitness test ahead of a major tour of the West Indies. Isuru Udana (right) who passed the test talks to Grant Luden physical performance manager

Source: Sundayobserver

Probe team shocked to hear public property left in the hands of private individuals who come and go without accountability:

In an unprecedented exposure to public curiosity, officials running Sri Lanka Cricket came under intense scrutiny like never before as the entity responsible for the country’s sporting passion was brought into disrepute on Thursday at a hearing conducted by COPE which is a parliamentary authority probing financial indiscipline and malpractices at public institutions.

Long standing Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva and its first time president Shammi Silva faced the brunt of the questioning and were accused of many financial irregularities in an organization that a former Sports Minister CB Ratnayake once branded the third most corrupt public body in the country.

Nothing could have been further from the truth when COPE’s chief investigator and Member of Parliament, Professor Charitha Herath declared that the hierarchy running the affairs of cricket were even “checkmated” by an outsider in former coach Chandika Hathurusinghe who demanded Rs.8 million a month to coach the team, could not account for Rs. 29 million gone missing as payments from a tour by South Africa and were behaving in a manner as if cricket was their private property.

Prof Herath made no secret of the fact that cricket officials were only opportunistic elected heads and deputies as he questioned their competence, integrity and honesty in handling finances saying that the country was losing by the millions due to an ineffective administration.

“This is not a game (Sellama) as you are dealing with a parliamentary probe. We need correct figures and this institution (Sri Lanka Cricket) is not in the right place as we can see”, said Professor Herath.

His remarks could not have come at a more appropriate time when electioneering for positions, wheeler dealing and horse trading are reportedly taking centre-stage behind closed doors while analysts claim the large number of votes (146) at stake makes it easy for the incompetent to enter the board of Sri Lanka Cricket and govern its affairs while past officials and players with a clean tract record who cannot serenade or entice voters fall by the wayside.

“Sri Lanka Cricket is a State enterprise, but it is being run by a group of people who are elected by clubs and those who are elected run it according to their whims and fancies and utilize funds the way they want and get away. We have to change this mentality”, declared Prof Herath as cricket officials struggled to convince him with documentary proof of how millions in funds were dispensed for various projects.

The COPE team could not find any evidence that the role of chief executive Ashley de Silva had benefitted Sri Lanka and helped in a profitable way other than implementing what was on paper handed down to him by his Committee superiors.

Prof Herath expressed disbelief that Sri Lanka Cricket had desperately signed up a coach without the regular “exit clause” that makes a Contract redundant without performing results while as much as Rs.20 million was already spent on legal fees as Hathurusinghe fights a battle to claim Rs. 100 million in compensation.

Another hidden misdeed brought to light was why and how a final payment of Rs.29 million due from a 2018 tour by South Africa ended up in an overseas account now under probe.