Case against board dissolution postponed

The recently sacked Sri Lankan cricket board, headed by Thilanga Sumathipala, received a set back in their fight to reinstate the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) yesterday when the Court of Appeal postponed their case until 22nd May.

Mohan de Silva and Trevor Rajaratnam, the secretary and treasurer of the outgoing board, filed a petition on the 4th April, which argued that the dissolution of the BCCSL by the Sports Minister and the subsequent appointment of an Interim Committee was unlawful according to the present Sports Law.

The decision to postpone the case ensures that the uncertainty over the legitimacy of the Interim Committee is to continue, but considering the widespread political support for the dissolution, the Interim Committee is expected to hold office until the 2003 World Cup.

The Interim Committee unveiled it's plans for the future at a recent press gathering, which included a constitutional review, a corporate sector style management, the separation of financial management and policy making, and employment of Barry Richards as a batting coach. Yesterday they revealed the appointment of several former players as committee members in the caretaker administration.

In a separate case, filed by Clifford Ratwatte, the uncle of the Sri Lankan President and a former cricket board contestant, Sumathipala has been given until the 12th June to file his objections. Ratwatte has argued that Sumathipala and eight other former members of the cricket board, violated a District Court order, which had prevented them holding office.