Sri Lankan Sports Minister Johnston Fernando will appoint a fresh interim committee 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 committee would be re-appointed for. The previous committee had been expected to run the board until the 2003 world cup when it was first appointed in March 2001.
Fernando, speaking from his Kurunegala residence, said: "We have a few people in mind, but no final decision has been taken and the fresh appointments will be made on Monday".
His justification for the decision to call for the resignation of all non-elected sports bodies in the country was that the original appointments were political.
"Its not only cricket but I have asked interim committees of the all sports bodies, which don't have an elected ex-co, to resign because all those appointments are political."
He denied that the surprise decision could jeopardise the smooth management of the current Zimbabwe Test series starting next Thursday.
"The BCCSL has a Chief Executive officer (Anura Tennekoon). He could man the board until we appoint a fresh interim administration within the next couple of days."
Chairman of the outgoing Interim Committee, Vijaja Malalsekera, speaking at the launch of the Janashakthi National Test series, remained philosophical after the minister's decision.
"I am a Buddhist and I have always believed that the only certainty in life is its impermanence – everything is subject to change," Malalsekera said.
"We accept the ministry decision because we are, after all, ministry appointees 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 in paper."
"We didn't come in to sling mud and we have looked to future throughout our eight months in office," he said. "We have put in place policies and documents which we believe can take Sri Lankan cricket forward, including the introduction of high class international coaches, for both the national team and district cricketers, a move towards a development pool, a change to the domestic structure and the development of our cricketing infrastructure."
"We have also drafted a new constitution, after consultation with many parties, but the fate of this is in the hands of the next board."
Malalsekera confirmed that since the appointment the 36-year-old sports minister had not yet been formally briefed on activities within the cricket board by the interim committee..
© CricInfo
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