Sumathipala not sent for ICC's meeting

Sri Lanka's official representation at the ongoing ICC Executive meeting in Delhi has descended into confusion as their Minister of Sports opted to send a ministry representative to the meeting in place of Thilanga Sumathipala, Sri Lanka Cricket's international envoy.

Jeevan Kumaratunga, the sports minister, sent Damian Fernando to India on Thursday morning. "We have informed the responsible international cricket authorities through the proper channels that Damian Fernando would be representing Sri Lanka," Kumaratunga told The Daily Mirror.

Sumathipala, who is standing for a fifth term as board president later this month, also departed for Delhi to participate in the meeting according to cricket officials. However, the same newspaper's sources claimed he had not joined the official discussions on the opening day of talks.

The two-day summit meeting will discuss Project USA, the status of Kenyan cricket, the international programme and various governance reforms, including one topic of particular interest for the ambitious Sumathipala: a decision on whether to abolish the automatic rotation of the presidency between member countries.