RAJENDRA PRASAD MOHAPATRA Courtesy OdishaTV

Ranatunga’s comment came days after the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended SLC for excessive political interference.

Former Sri Lanka World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga has blamed BCCI secretary Jay Shah for running and ruining Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

Ranatunga’s comment came days after the International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended SLC for excessive political interference.

Because of the connection between SLC officials and Jay Shah, they (the BCCI) are under the impression that they can trample and control SLC,” said Ranatunga during a recent interview.

Jay Shah is running Sri Lanka Cricket. SLC is being ruined because of pressure from Jay Shah. One man in India is ruining Sri Lankan cricket. He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s home minister,” he added.

Notably, Ranatunga is a key figure in the middle of a power tussle within the SLC. Following the debacle in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe had sacked SLC board and installed an interim committee headed by Ranatunga.

However, the decision was quashed by Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal. The Court also restored the officials pending further inquiry after SLC President Shammi Silva moved to the judiciary.