“In the past three years Sri Lanka cricket has been at its lowest state mainly due to corruption and mismanagement on an unprecedented scale by the previous administration who were elected in 2016,” said Dharmadasa.
“Opposing camps are blaming me that I was making money using SLC through the Health Care partner. We (at Nawaloka Hospital) became a Health Care partner with SLC after I left SLC and we are paying Rs. 2.8 million annually for the sponsorship,” he said.Speaking further Dharmadasa said: “Holding the chairman’s post in 20 companies in Sri Lanka I do not need to depend on SLC money. I am a good administrator in the business field and we paid salaries during my time as SLC president.
“In the opposition only Ravin Wickramaratne is employed at a mobile service provider company the rest don’t have any business. You can see who dependent on the SLC.”Dharmadasa further went onto state that the Mohan de Silva administration was removed by the then Minister of Sports due to the loss suffered by SLC but our team was dissolved by the former Sports Minister Navin Dissanayake in 2015 because our electing period expired.
“Due to numerous request from the stakeholders and cricket loving general public we have come forward as a group of experienced cricket administrators and past cricketers and financial experts to form a well-balanced professional team,” said Dharmadasa.Speaking at the press conference Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said that the Sri Lanka team should be better motivated and psychologically prepared for the World Cup.
“I was not involved in any cricket matter for the past three years and it was the previous management that ran cricket. But after the ICC decided to appoint its first permanent anti-corruption representative in Sri Lanka we all felt guilty. This team requested me to join them and I clearly said that I will manage the cricket and for the rest to do the management part.Everyone is a specialist in their field so I will assure after we get elected there is no room for corruption and match fixing,” said Ranatunga.
He further said that in the past cricketers endeavoured to ensure that Sri Lanka reached the pinnacle in all forms of cricket in the international arena through commitment, sacrifice and dedication toward the country but today players focus on their personnel gains not on the team’s deve
