{"id":156616,"date":"2026-06-05T16:09:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T23:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=156616"},"modified":"2026-06-05T16:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T23:09:49","slug":"the-sri-lankan-lawyer-who-fundamentally-rattled-the-icc-down-to-its-knees-in-a-manner-that-has-never-happened-before-in-cricket-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/06\/05\/the-sri-lankan-lawyer-who-fundamentally-rattled-the-icc-down-to-its-knees-in-a-manner-that-has-never-happened-before-in-cricket-history\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sri Lankan lawyer who fundamentally rattled the ICC down to its knees in a manner that has never happened before in Cricket history"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><em>Courtesy :\u00a0 AI Overview<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n<p>The Sri Lankan lawyer who fundamentally rattled the ICC down to its knees in a manner that has never happened before in Cricket history &#8211; A classic example of a lone fighter and game changer in a David v Goliath confrontational scenario<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>AI Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Sri Lankan lawyer is <strong>Senaka Weeraratna<\/strong>, the original conceptual architect behind cricket\u2019s revolutionary <strong>Decision Review System (DRS)<\/strong>. He fundamentally changed the sports world by introducing the <strong>&#8220;Player Referral&#8221; concept<\/strong>. This mechanism stripped on-field umpires of their absolute authority and shifted the power to the players. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/03\/05\/senaka-weeraratna-the-seminal-figure-of-the-cricket-reformation\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/15\/true-justice-regarding-drs\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/the-decades-long-intellectual-property-battle-between-sri-lankan-lawyer-senaka-weeraratna-and-the-international-cricket-council-icc-over-the-authorship-of-the-decision-review-system-drs-is-widely\/\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/30\/jonathan-hall-counsel-for-icc-has-given-flawed-legal-advice-on-authorship-of-player-referral-drs-claiming-that-it-was-the-work-of-an-unnamed-and-undisclosed-employee-of-icc-or-a-contractor-but-not\/\">5<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His ongoing intellectual property battle against the International Cricket Council (ICC) continues to shake international sports jurisprudence. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">1<\/a>] Weeraratna&#8217;s underdog battle against the ICC is a classic example of a lone fighter taking on a global establishment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;+&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; |&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; SENAKA WEERARATNA\u2019S DRS CONCEPT&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; |<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; +&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; |&nbsp; 1997 Blueprint: Published in &#8220;The Australian&#8221; newspaper.&nbsp;&nbsp; |<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; |&nbsp; Legal Analogy: Framed Third Umpire as an Appellate Court.&nbsp; |<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; |&nbsp; The Mechanism: Gave players rights to challenge errors.&nbsp;&nbsp; |<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; |&nbsp; Modern Reality: ICC adopted it in 2009 without credit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; |<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp; +&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-+<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Legal Genius Behind the Invention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Legal Analogy<\/strong>: Viewing an unchallengeable umpire as a breach of natural justice, Weeraratna modeled his system on legal principles, creating an appellate process for on-field errors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Golden Rule<\/strong>: He proposed a fundamental shift: &#8220;If you have the technology to detect an error, then the same technology must be used to correct it.&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Documented Proof<\/strong>: The structural framework, including limits on reviews, was published in a 1997 letter to <em>The Australian<\/em>, twelve (12) years before the ICC&#8217;s 2009 launch of the system. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/03\/10\/if-you-have-the-technology-to-detect-an-error-then-the-same-technology-must-be-used-to-correct-it\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/21\/what-the-icc-is-losing-by-failing-to-act-justly-and-within-the-spirit-of-cricket-by-denying-senaka-weeraratna-due-recognition-as-the-true-inventor-of-the-player-referral-system-drs\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/the-decades-long-intellectual-property-battle-between-sri-lankan-lawyer-senaka-weeraratna-and-the-international-cricket-council-icc-over-the-authorship-of-the-decision-review-system-drs-is-widely\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/14\/cricket-historian-michael-roberts-calls-player-referral-concept-was-a-historic-paradigm-shift-that-fundamentally-altered-sports-officiating-1-2\/\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/island.lk\/senaka-weeraratna-the-unsung-architect-of-modern-cricket\/\">5<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">6<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Shaking the ICC: The Legal Battlefield<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The dispute highlights a major conflict between public disclosure and corporate denial: [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/21\/what-the-icc-is-losing-by-failing-to-act-justly-and-within-the-spirit-of-cricket-by-denying-senaka-weeraratna-due-recognition-as-the-true-inventor-of-the-player-referral-system-drs\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/the-decades-long-intellectual-property-battle-between-sri-lankan-lawyer-senaka-weeraratna-and-the-international-cricket-council-icc-over-the-authorship-of-the-decision-review-system-drs-is-widely\/\">2<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The ICC\u2019s Defense<\/strong>: ICC legal advisors have argued they were &#8220;entirely unaware&#8221; of the published concepts, attributing the creation to internal committees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Doctrine of Constructive Notice<\/strong>: Weeraratna&#8217;s legal team argues that because the system was publicly published in 1997, the ICC is legally presumed to have had knowledge of it (Constructive Notice).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Intellectual Property Loophole<\/strong>: The ICC has conceded it holds no registered copyright or identified author for the DRS rules, creating a legal ambiguity regarding its origin. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/drs-jonathan-hall-general-counsel-icc-like-david-becker-head-legal-icc-has-submitted-that-icc-was-totally-unaware-of-senaka-weeraratnas-prior-work-completely-overlooking-the-doctrine-o\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/30\/jonathan-hall-counsel-for-icc-has-given-flawed-legal-advice-on-authorship-of-player-referral-drs-claiming-that-it-was-the-work-of-an-unnamed-and-undisclosed-employee-of-icc-or-a-contractor-but-not\/\">4<\/a>].\u00a0 Research on the Internet reveals that the \u2018employee or independent contractor \u2019\u00a0 that Jonathan Hall (General Counsel for ICC) has referred to in his 2023 correspondence as the Author of the ICC version of the \u2018Player \u2013 Referral \u2019concept was none other than David Richardson (then CEO of ICC) who had been given Dossiers of Documents on Player \u2013 Referral by SLC officials twice in 2008 and 2009 (Nishantha Ranatunga). \u00a0The motivation for David Richardson to not publicly identify himself as the author of the ICC version of \u2018Player \u2013 Referral\u2019 raises significant questions about the Ethical Standards of Governance at the ICC. \u00a0Moreover, David Richardson is also a Member of the Legal Profession of South Africa. Professional Honesty is a paramount and universal requirement for a lawyer irrespective of his country of origin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Exposure to Fraud and Misrepresentation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The threshold for civil fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation is met when a party knowingly states a falsehood to deny another party their lawful rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>Suppression of Evidence<\/strong>: Actively maintaining that the ICC was &#8220;totally unaware&#8221; of the concept while sitting on physical, stamped dossiers handed over by a member board (SLC) transitions the case from passive negligence to an active cover-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; \u00b7&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <strong>The Legal Consequence<\/strong>: Asserting an independent internal employee or contractor (David Richardson) &#8220;authored&#8221; the system while holding physical proof of Weeraratna\u2019s earlier blueprint constitutes material misrepresentation. This subjects the legal team\u2014and the ICC as an institution\u2014to substantial punitive damages under international intellectual property disputes. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/06\/02\/icc-not-only-had-constructive-knowledge-but-also-actual-physical-knowledge-of-the-player-referral-concept-gained-during-david-richardsons-visit-to-sri-lanka-in-july-2008\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/drs-jonathan-hall-general-counsel-icc-like-david-becker-head-legal-icc-has-submitted-that-icc-was-totally-unaware-of-senaka-weeraratnas-prior-work-completely-overlooking-the-doctrine-o\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/30\/jonathan-hall-counsel-for-icc-has-given-flawed-legal-advice-on-authorship-of-player-referral-drs-claiming-that-it-was-the-work-of-an-unnamed-and-undisclosed-employee-of-icc-or-a-contractor-but-not\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/30\/if-icc-lawyers-have-blundered-giving-sub-standard-flawed-legal-advice-on-the-origins-of-player-referral-what-are-the-remedies-available-to-improve-iccs-image\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Call for Global Recognition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike other methods in cricket, the ICC has not officially named an inventor for the DRS. Backed by cricket stakeholders, there is a movement urging the ICC to recognize Weeraratna as the &#8220;Father of DRS&#8221;. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/15\/true-justice-regarding-drs\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CYwGmb9onH9\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2025\/03\/05\/senaka-weeraratna-the-seminal-figure-of-the-cricket-reformation\/\">3<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Would you like to explore <strong>how his legal team is utilizing the Doctrine of Constructive Notice<\/strong> in sports law, or read the <strong>original 1997 letter text<\/strong> that started the cricket reformation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>His Core Philosophy<\/strong>: <em>&#8220;If you have the technology to detect an error, then the same technology must be used to correct it.&#8221;<\/em> [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/south-african-lawyer-david-beckers-negligence-and-oversight-of-fundamental-principles-of-law-as-a-legal-adviser-of-the-icc\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/21\/what-the-icc-is-losing-by-failing-to-act-justly-and-within-the-spirit-of-cricket-by-denying-senaka-weeraratna-due-recognition-as-the-true-inventor-of-the-player-referral-system-drs\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/the-decades-long-intellectual-property-battle-between-sri-lankan-lawyer-senaka-weeraratna-and-the-international-cricket-council-icc-over-the-authorship-of-the-decision-review-system-drs-is-widely\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/island.lk\/senaka-weeraratna-the-unsung-architect-of-modern-cricket\/\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/03\/10\/if-you-have-the-technology-to-detect-an-error-then-the-same-technology-must-be-used-to-correct-it\/\">5<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/sri-lankas-greatest-contribution-to-development-of-cricket-has-come-not-from-excellence-in-the-use-of-the-bat-and-ball-on-the-playing-field-but-with-the-use-of-the-mighty-pen-beyond-the-boundary-of\/\">6<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/14\/cricket-historian-michael-roberts-calls-player-referral-concept-was-a-historic-paradigm-shift-that-fundamentally-altered-sports-officiating-1-2\/\">7<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">8<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Battle with the ICC<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the cricket world relies entirely on the DRS today, the ICC implemented the system under the name &#8220;Umpire Decision Review System&#8221; (UDRS) in 2008\u20132009 without giving Weeraratna official credit or financial compensation. Unlike the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, which bears the names of its creators, the ICC has historically maintained that its own committees designed the system independently. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/sri-lankan-ingenuity-in-cricket-reform-such-as-player-referral-drs-and-third-umpire-matches-ingenuity-of-powerful-western-nations-at-global-level\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/drs-jonathan-hall-general-counsel-icc-like-david-becker-head-legal-icc-has-submitted-that-icc-was-totally-unaware-of-senaka-weeraratnas-prior-work-completely-overlooking-the-doctrine-o\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/15\/true-justice-regarding-drs\/\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/south-african-lawyer-david-beckers-negligence-and-oversight-of-fundamental-principles-of-law-as-a-legal-adviser-of-the-icc\/\">5<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weeraratna\u2019s legal team has heavily targeted the ICC for bypassing intellectual property rights. His lawyers rely on the <strong>Doctrine of Constructive Notice<\/strong>, arguing that because Weeraratna publicized his exact blueprints globally starting in 1997, the ICC is legally presumed to have had knowledge of his work. Furthermore, the discovery that the ICC had been given a Dossier of documents on Player \u2013 Referral written by Senaka Weeraratna to David Richardson when he visited Sri Lanka in July 2008 establishes that the ICC also had <strong>Actual (Physical) Notice<\/strong> in addition to <strong>Constructive Notice<\/strong>. Documentation also shows a dossier of the 1997 system was handed to top ICC officials in July 2009 as well, shortly before the official rollout a few months later. This evidence further undermines the credibility and intellectual honesty of ICC lawyers. The ongoing dispute remains a legendary example of a lone innovator using the &#8220;mighty pen&#8221; to completely re-engineer the power dynamics of a global sport. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/iccs-shameful-co-habitation-with-wrongdoing-of-its-legal-team-in-relation-to-authorship-of-drs-options-available-to-restore-its-integrity\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/29\/drs-jonathan-hall-general-counsel-icc-like-david-becker-head-legal-icc-has-submitted-that-icc-was-totally-unaware-of-senaka-weeraratnas-prior-work-completely-overlooking-the-doctrine-o\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/18\/senaka-weeraratnas-legal-battles-with-the-icc-a-classic-high-utility-case-study-for-sports-law-curricula-worldwide\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/05\/31\/sri-lankas-greatest-contribution-to-development-of-cricket-has-come-not-from-excellence-in-the-use-of-the-bat-and-ball-on-the-playing-field-but-with-the-use-of-the-mighty-pen-beyond-the-boundary-of\/\">4<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"740\" height=\"740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-156618\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-4.png 740w, https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-4-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-4-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This David v Goliath image says it all&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"620\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-3.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-156617\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-3.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/image-3-290x300.jpeg 290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-generated\/david-versus-goliath-face-each-other-2636147107?trackingId=031e6c1b-cfb6-46c9-ab17-8010298bafaa&amp;listId=searchResults\">https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-generated\/david-versus-goliath-face-each-other-2636147107?trackingId=031e6c1b-cfb6-46c9-ab17-8010298bafaa&amp;listId=searchResults<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Courtesy :&nbsp; AI Overview<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Courtesy :\u00a0 AI Overview The Sri Lankan lawyer who fundamentally rattled the ICC down to its knees in a manner that has never happened before in Cricket history &#8211; A classic example of a lone fighter and game changer in a David v Goliath confrontational scenario AI Overview The Sri Lankan lawyer is Senaka Weeraratna, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-senaka-weeraratna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156619,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156616\/revisions\/156619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}