‘Bribe, Corruption & More’, How Sri Lanka Cricket Suffered Shame Even Before Playing India

The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has found itself amid a barrage of controversies all of a sudden, where everything wrong that could have possibly happened to a cricketing body, has happened to them. 

From an official member of the board getting banned for trying to pay a bribe to a minister, to the top-tier players of the country getting caught breaking COVID-19 protocol like a bunch of teenagers, the SLC is having a tough time at the moment. 

Sanath Jayasundara has been banned by the ICC for attempting to bribe a minister to influence selections for a Sri Lanka A tour in 2019

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 5, 2021

On Monday, the organisation faced back-to-back blows after SLC performance analyst Sanath Jayasundara was banned for seven years after being caught trying to bribe the sports minister Harin Fernando, in order to influence an international match a certain way back in 2018.

“Jayasundara’s attempt to bribe a minister is a grave transgression while the efforts to cover up his tracks and the lack of remorse are hugely disappointing,” ICC anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall said in a statement. “We won’t tolerate corrupt conduct in our sport and my team will be relentless in preventing such behaviour,” he warned. 

Bhanuka Rajapaksa has been fined for a breach of contract and is essentially on probation for two years, having been handed a one-year ban as a suspended sentence

Despite the punishment, the batter has been included in the training squad ahead of the India series

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 5, 2021

The second blow came in the form of Sri Lankan Twenty20 player Bhanuka Rajapaksa getting himself in some serious trouble and was fined $5,000 along with a ban for criticising the SLC in interviews with local media.  

According to the board, the 29-year-old breached his contract by going to social media interviews, complaining about how he has been continuously dropped from the squad for unjustified reasons. 

“Bhanuka failed the skinfold test and went home without doing the rest of the tests. This just shows me the attitude and the shortcuts he is looking to take,” head coach Mickey Arthur said, according to ESPNcricinfo. 

“We are building a culture of pushing the players to be the best they can be. We want our best players on the field. He would be in our T20 squad. However, at the moment, his skinfold numbers have gone up and he has got to work on it.” 

All these issues are coming back to haunt the Lankans a week after three of their best players Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, and Danushka Gunathilaka were caught breaking the bio-bubble to protect their teammates and the opponents back in England.

Upon confessing to breaking the COVID-19 protocol in Durham, the trio was suspended indefinitely but reports of a potential one-year ban have now emerged, thereby making the already limping Sri Lankan squad even weaker.

“This is a second string Indian team and their coming here is an Insult on our Sri Lanka cricket. I blame the current administration for agreeing to play with them due to television marketing needs.” – Arjuna Ranatunga (Told Reporters)

— CricketMAN2 (@man4_cricket) July 2, 2021

A couple of days ago, Sri Lankan legend Arjuna Ranatunga called the B-string of the Indian squad “weak” and considered their tour to the island nation an insult to Sri Lankan cricket.

“India sent their best team to England and sent a weaker side to play here. I blame our board for that,” the former Sri Lankan player had said.