Sports Minister finally approves Sri Lanka squad

The Ministry of Sports and Tourism has approved the same squad presented by the national selectors for the forthcoming Coca-Cola Cup.

The Sports Minister, Lakshman Kiriella, had earlier refused to approve the 15-man squad, questioning the omission of off-spinner Thilan Samaraweera.

Normally the players selected need the approval of the Minister of Sports and generally the names are approved by the Minister. But this time the Minister controversially refused approval, insisting on Samaraweera's inclusion.

The Minister refused approval for two days but this evening the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka released the names of players approved by the minister, which didn't contain the name of Samaraweera.

When CricInfo contacted the Sports Ministry authorities to clarify the latest developments, the officials were unavailable for comment.