Wanindu Hasaranga failed to recover from injury for World Cup 2023 (AP)
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has claimed that the Ministry of Sports has misled the public by providing confusing details about how they spent the Rs. 289 million the National Sports Fund received from the cricket board.
According to SLC, the cricket board had given the National Sports Fund a grant of Rs. 289 million to spend money on 67 activities. However, in a media release issued by the Ministry of Sports earlier in November, they had stated details about the 47 items the grant was spent upon.
Moreover, the SLC has also claimed that the cricket board had initially picked Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera in Sri Lanka’s 15-player squad for the 2023 World Cup. However, their decision was rejected by the National Sports Selection Committee, which itself comes under the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs.
SLC clarifies World Cup selection and Grant funding
On November 24, i.e., roughly a week after the conclusion of the 2023 World Cup in India, the SLC confirmed that they included Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera in team’s 15-player tournament squad, in spite of being fully aware about their respective injuries.
The cricket board stated that they had selected the two key Sri Lankan cricketers with a hope of including them in the playing XI upon full recovery at some point of the competition. However, their attempts were rejected by the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs who sought medical clearance upfront instead.
An official statement from the SLC also clarified that they had given a grant of Rs. 289 million to the National Sports Fund, and the ministry spent the aforementioned money on 67 activities instead of the 47 mentioned by the latter’s media release.
 "Aakash Saini")
