Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) will felicitate 50 officials who have served SLC in an honourary capacity at a ceremony at a Colombo hotel tomorrow, but a few glaring omissions of some of the most conspicuous servers of the game in the country have raised a few eye brows.
The difficult task of naming the 50 members to receive the awards was handled by a four member panel including SLC Interim committee secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, IC member Ranil Abeynaike, Former SLC Secretary Nuski Mohamed and former Sri Lanka cricket captain Anura Tennekoon.
The most stunning omission is the name of Thilanga Sumathipala, who held the Presidency of SLC for four terms through elected office.
Several other prominent figures such as Stanley Jayasinghe, H.I.K. Fernando, Daya Sahabandu, Kumar Weerasuriya are also missing from the list.
“This is news to me. I didn’t know that there was a thing like this. I am surprised. But frankly I am not bothered. It is a list that they have prepared. So what is there to say?” commented Sumathipala.
Ranatunga refused to comment on the list of nominees for awards for sensitivity reasons, but said it was the most difficult task he handled since assuming office.
He said that some of the names they nominated were rejected by the ICC and added that ICC communicated to them that those names were omitted on the recommendation of the ICC Anti Corruption Unit.
“This is a sensitive area, so I can’t comment. Some of our nominees were rejected by the ICC” said Ranatunga adding that “We have the documentary evidence on communications with the ICC in this regard”.
Sources said that an initial list prepared by SLC did not include even the name of former SLC interim chief Arjuna Ranatunga and several other stalwarts, but was later revised.
Sources added that this list was not ratified by the Sports Minister, so SLC appointed a fresh panel to do the selections.
Nishantha Ranatunga agreed the initial list did not have the name of his elder brother Arjuna. “Yes, in the initial list, we did not nominate people who held SLC office in very recent times. But later it was revised” said Ranatunga.
Some of the other names that were not in the initial list but were added to the new list are
Aravinda de Silva, Chrisantha de Silva, Luskshman Jayakody,Vijaya Malalasekera, Ajit Jayasekera, Duleep Mendis, M.J.M.Muzammil, Anura Tennekoon, Michael Tissera, Jayananda Warnaweera and Sidath Wettimuny.
Amongst the volunteers who will receive awards tomorrow are some of the top paid SLC employees such as Ajith Jayasekara, Anuruddha Polonnowita, Anura Tennekoon and Duleep Mendis.
Tomorrow’s ceremony would be attended by ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and would be followed by a banquet dinner.
Some of the most conspicuous omissions from the list are Thilanga Sumathipala [Former President], Stanley.Jayasinghe [Former EXCO Member /SL Team Manager], Kumar.Weerasuriya [Former Treasurer, IC Member], Adel Hashim [Former President Mercantile Cricket Association and Former IC Member and SLC Secretary], Harendra Dunuwille [Former Vice President], Thilina Tennakoon [Former Vice President SLC and President Kandy District CA and President Central Province CA], Lawrence Amarasena [Former VP/Secretary SLC ], Lincoln Perera [Former Umpires committee chairman from 1963 and Cricket Promoter In Mutwal], Ashantha De.Mel [Former IC Secretary], K.M. Nelson [Former Under 19 youth manager, longest serving Selector to date, member of the EX CO], H.I.K. Fernando [Former Chairman selection Committee], A.R.M. Aroos [SLC official], Nihal Lewke [ Former SLC Assistant Treasurer and Cricket Promoter Anuradhapura] Deva Amunugama [Former SLC Exco - Member and Cricket Promoter Kandy DCA], T.B. Kehelgamuwa [Former EXCO member and Former Chairman Selection Committee], Daya Sahabandu [Former Selection Committee member]
C.I. Gunasekera, Neil Chanmugam [Manager SL team and Exco member SLC] and Rodney Koelmeyer [Gampaha District Cricket Promoter).
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