da bwin： Sri Lankan Sports Minister Johnston Fernando will appoint a fresh interimcommittee to run the affairs of the cricket board on Monday according to the state sponsored Sunday Observer newspaper
CricInfo23-Dec-2001Sri Lankan Sports Minister Johnston Fernando will appoint a fresh interimcommittee to run the affairs of the cricket board on Monday according to the state sponsored Sunday Observer newspaper.He did not, however, give any indication as to how long an interim committeewould be re-appointed for. The previous committee had been expected to runthe board until the 2003 world cup when it was first appointed in March2001.Fernando, speaking from his Kurunegala residence, said: “We have a fewpeople in mind, but no final decision has been taken and the freshappointments will be made on Monday”.His justification for the decision to call for the resignation of allnon-elected sports bodies in the country was that the original appointmentswere political.”Its not only cricket but I have asked interim committees of the all sportsbodies, which don’t have an elected ex-co, to resign because all thoseappointments are political.”He denied that the surprise decision could jeopardise the smooth managementof the current Zimbabwe Test series starting next Thursday.”The BCCSL has a Chief Executive officer (Anura Tennekoon). He could manthe board until we appoint a fresh interim administration within the nextcouple of days.”Chairman of the outgoing Interim Committee, Vijaja Malalsekera, speaking atthe launch of the Janashakthi National Test series, remained philosophicalafter the minister’s decision.”I am a Buddhist and I have always believed that the only certainty in lifeis its impermanence – everything is subject to change,” Malalsekera said.”We accept the ministry decision because we are, after all, ministryappointees and it is not within our scope to question the decision.”Asked to whether he felt the Interim Committee had done a good job, he said:”It is for others to judge what we have achieved. Everything is down inpaper.””We didn’t come in to sling mud and we have looked to future throughout oureight months in office,” he said. “We have put in place policies anddocuments which we believe can take Sri Lankan cricket forward, includingthe introduction of high class international coaches, for both the nationalteam and district cricketers, a move towards a development pool, a change tothe domestic structure and the development of our cricketinginfrastructure.””We have also drafted a new constitution, after consultation with manyparties, but the fate of this is in the hands of the next board.”Malalsekera confirmed that since the appointment the 36-year-old sportsminister had not yet been formally briefed on activities within the cricketboard by the interim committee..