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Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has questioned the recent ban imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and assured that Sri Lanka would appeal to the global cricket governing body in this regard.

Speaking at a special press conference held this afternoon (10 Nov.) at the Sports Ministry in Colombo, Ranasinghe stated that the ban comes as a shock, given its sudden implementation by the ICC.

The Minister explained that the ban was imposed without any prior notice or warning, and is thereby inconsistent with the required ICC procedures usually followed in such matters.

“It is not ethical, it is a surprise”, Ranasinghe said, explaining that as per the ICC’s arbitration rules, prior to suspending a country’s membership from the ICC, the global cricket body is required to notify the relevant member country of their shortcomings at an Annual General Meeting (AGM), following which the relevant country’s membership may be suspended one year from the date of initial notice, in the event the concerns they were notified of remain unaddressed.

“How can they condemn our country like this? They condemned our country without informing us”, the Minister asserted, explaining that Sri Lanka is not the only ICC member with interim committees and alleged state influence in cricket.

Speaking further in this regard, Ranasinghe raised questions about countries such as Pakistan and Afghanistan; the former where there exists a plethora of interim committees related to cricket, and the latter where, albeit ICC law stating that there be a women’s cricket team, the Taliban law does not allow for such an establishment.”That is also state involvement”, the Minister said, questioning the rationale behind Sri Lanka’s ban.

Thus, the Minister explained that measures are currently underway to first question the ICC on the grounds and shortcomings on which Sri Lanka’s membership was banned. However, if these measures fail, the Minister asserted that Sri Lanka would appeal to the ICC in this regard.

On Friday night (10 Nov.), the ICC suspended SLC’s membership, with immediate effect, saying that the national cricket governing body is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference.

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An injury to his left Index finger has ruled Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan out of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

Shakib suffered the injury while batting in Bangladesh’s penultimate league stage game against Sri Lanka in Delhi on 6 November 2023.

An X-ray after the game confirmed a fracture which has ruled him out of Bangladesh’s last match of the tournament against Australia in Pune on 11 November.

National Team Physio Bayjedul Islam Khan gave further details on the injury.

“Shakib was struck on his left index finger early in his innings but continued to bat with supportive taping and painkillers,” he said.

“He underwent an emergency X-ray in Delhi after the game which confirmed the fracture on the left PIP joint. Recovery is estimated at three to four weeks. He will leave for Bangladesh today to begin his rehab.”

Shakib hit a match-winning 82 from 65 balls, comprising 12 fours and two sixes, to guide his side to a three-wicket victory over Sri Lanka. Earlier in the day, he recorded figures of 2/57 with the ball. The fine all-round performance in a tense clash fetched him the Player of the Match award. (ICC)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership of the ICC with immediate effect.

The ICC Board met today (10 Nov.) and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka.

The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course.

The Supreme Court’s determination on the constitutionality of the Online Safety Bill and its provisions was communicated to the parliament this morning (Nov. 07) by Deputy Speaker Ajith Rajapakse.

In its determination, the Supreme Court has noted that the Online Safety Bill could be passed by a simple majority in the parliament following Committee Stage amendments on certain clauses.

Pursuant to Article 84(2) of the Constitution, Clauses 3, 5, 7, 9, 11,12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 36, 37, 42, 45, 53, and 56 should be passed by a special majority in the parliament.

However, if these clauses are amended during the Committee Stage, the Online Safety Bill can be passed by a simple majority in the parliament, the Supreme Court has said further.

As such, the Supreme Court has arrived at the conclusion that subject to the aforementioned particulars, neither the Online Safety Bill nor its provisions are inconsistent with the Constitution.

On October 19, the Supreme Court concluded deliberation of the petitions filed challenging the much-debated Online Safety Bill, which had been tabled in the parliament by the government recently. The hearings were held before the three-member Supreme Court judge bench consisting of Justices Priyantha Jayawardena, Achala Vengapulli and Shiran Gunaratne.

Accordingly, the judge bench’s confidential verdict regarding the relevant petitions was communicated to President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

During the October 18 parliamentary session, the Speaker revealed that 45 petitions in total had been filed against the proposed legislation.

Petitions were filed by many parties including social activist and independent journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara; Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith; the Socialist Youth Union (SYU); General Secretary of Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara; SJB’s Rehan Jayawickrama; former BASL presidents Saliya Peiris and Geoffrey Alagaratnam; National People’s Power (NPP) MP Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Freedom People’s Congress (FPC) member Prof. G.L. Peiris, challenging various provisions included in the legislation, alleging that the relevant bill is in violation of the fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

The petitioners had sought an order determining that if the relevant bill were to be passed, it must be approved by a two-thirds majority in parliament, followed by a referendum.

The Online Safety Bill, published in the government gazette on September 18, aims to ban online communication of certain statements in the country, prevent the use of online accounts – both authentic and inauthentic – for the use of prohibited purposes, to suppress the financing and other support of communication of false statements and other related matters.

However, the Bill has come under fire for some of its problematic aspects, with the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) which consists of multiple tech giants including Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Yahoo, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) voicing concerns.

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The World Bank Executive Board on Thursday (Nov 09) approved US$ 150 Million in financing for Sri Lanka to strengthen the resilience of the financial sector.

Issuing a statement, the World Bank said the fund is provided to strengthen the financial and institutional capacity of Sri Lanka’s financial sector safety net, with a focus on the Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance Scheme.

“Sri Lanka’s economic crisis highlights the need for strong safety nets to support the financial sector. A stable and reliable banking sector is essential for the economy, businesses and individuals, small businesses and poor households,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. “Strengthening the Deposit Insurance Scheme will help protect the savings of smaller depositors, including women and people living in rural areas. It will also sustain the confidence in Sri Lanka’s financial system, a critical part of building the country back better.”

The Financial Sector Safety Net Project is designed to boost the financial and institutional capacity of the Sri Lanka Deposit Insurance Scheme (SLDIS), which is managed by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

The financing will help boost reserves of SLDIS which could be used towards the payout to insured depositors of banks and licensed finance companies. In parallel, the project will support institutional strengthening of the SLDIS in line with international good practices for effective deposit insurance schemes.

“Strengthening the financial sector safety net is crucial for maintaining financial stability during a macro-debt crisis,” said Alexander Pankov, Lead Financial Sector Specialist and the Task Team Leader for the project. “A robust deposit insurance system, along with enhanced supervision and resolution frameworks, will safeguard public confidence in the financial system and protect people’s savings.”

The SLDIS was established in 2010 and has conducted several payouts for failed licensed finance companies in recent years. Currently, the SLDIS guarantees the deposits of households and enterprises up to LKR 1,100,000, which covers more than 90 per cent of deposit accounts in Sri Lanka.

The legal framework for deposit insurance in Sri Lanka was upgraded earlier this year through the approval by Parliament of the Banking Special Provisions Act. SLDIS should now be strengthened institutionally and financially for it to be able to effectively fulfil its legal mandate of protecting the financial sector stability.

Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews was dismissed in a controversial manner in the 2023 ICC World Cup match against Bangladesh.

The 2023 World Cup playing conditions state a new batter needs to be ready to face their first ball within two minutes of arriving.

He did not face a ball within the stipulated time and Bangladesh appealed for him to be given out. The former Sri Lankan captain tried to explain some to the umpires but to no avail.

As per the rules, a new batsman has to be ready to face the ball within three minutes. Mathews was out on the field but there was some issue with his helmet. The star all-rounder wasn’t ready to bat due to the issue with his gear.

Bangladesh decided to appeal against Mathews and the umpire had no option but to adjudge him out. The on-field umpires can only give a batsman out if the opposition players appeal. Mathews would have stayed in the middle had Bangladesh decided to withdraw the appeal. He is the first player to be given Timed Out in international cricket.

It has happened only six times before in any format, all in first-class cricket.

Mathews walked back to the pavilion without facing a delivery. His wicket left Sri Lanka reeling at 135/5. Dhananjaya de Silva has joined Charith Asalanka in the middle.

Earlier, Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bowl first. They got an early scalp of Kusal Perera, who managed a score of 4. Pathum Nissanka took the onus after the fall of early wicket and added 61 runs for the second wicket with Kusal Mendis (19).

Sadeera Samarawickrama also played a crucial knock of 41 before getting out. It was after his dismissal that Mathews came out to join Asalanka. But he ended up getting dismissed without facing any delivery.

With just 2 wins from seven matches, Sri Lanka are placed at the seventh spot in the points table. They are in contention to qualify for the semi-final. With just one win from seven matches, Bangladesh are at the ninth spot. They have crashed out of the tournament.

Source: Times Now

--Agencies

Stressing that they shouldn't pursue band-aid solutions to resolve the Sri Lanka Cricket crisis, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said the only solution is to implement the report submitted by the Committee headed by Justice K.T. Chitrasiri to introduce a new constitution to Sri Lanka Cricket through a parliamentary act.

Recalling his contribution to the development of school cricket during his tenure as the Minister of Education when president J.R. Jayawardene and former minister Gamini Dissanayake initiated projects to develop the game in the country, President Wickremesinghe observed that his efforts to develop cricket at the school level played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka's world cup victory in 1996.

When asked whose side the president is on, he quipped; "I am not on either side. I am on the side of cricket".

He revealed that the International Cricket Council had discussed the Sri Lanka cricket crisis yesterday, adding that he fears it may lead to a negative outcome.

Veteran singer Athula Sri Gamage, aged 60, passed away while receiving treatment at the Sri Jayawardenepura General Hospital, family sources said.

During his career, Athula Sri Gamage had several popular songs, including "Athmayen Athmaye," "Hima Meedum," "Paradeesaye," and "Susuma Vee Mage," which gained immense popularity among the people.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued an Extraordinary Gazette notification this evening (Nov. 08) declaring the postal service as an essential public service.

The Gazette has been issued by virtue of the powers vested in the President in terms of Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979.

Accordingly, the postal service has been declared to be an essential public service considering it necessary that the services provided by any Public Corporation or Government Department or Local Authority or Co-operative Society or any branch thereof being a Department or Corporation or Local Authority or Cooperative Society, which is engaged in the provision of the postal service, is essential to the life of the community and is likely to be impeded or interrupted, the gazette states.

Minister of Urban Development and Housing Prasanna Ranatunga has issued directives regarding the administration of Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo 07.

Accordingly, he has instructed the Urban Development Authority (UDA) to transfer the administration of the park to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).

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The Department of Posts has taken steps to cancel all the leave of its employees due to the need of maintaining the postal services, ahead of a planned strike by postal workers.

Accordingly, Postmaster General Ruwan Sathkumara stated that the leave of all postal staff will be cancelled on November 08, 09 and 10 with immediate effect.

Earlier today (07), it was reported that postal workers have decided to resort to a 48-hour token strike from midnight today, protesting against the government’s alleged decision to sell the postal offices in Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya.

Co-convener of United Postal Trade Unions’ Front, Chinthaka Bandara had said the postal workers stand ready to launch a continuous strike if the government fails to resolve this issue.

State sector employees will receive a salary increase of around Rs. 10,000 from 2024 budget, said government sources.

An estimated 1.5 million workers will begin receiving the hiked salaries from January.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe told his ministers on 30 October that the budget would propose to raise the salaries of all state sector workers.

He asked the private sector to follow suit and provide a salary increase for its workers.

The budget for next year, Wickremesinghe’s third, will be presented to parliament on 13 November.