Former Sri Lanka captain Arjun Ranatunga expressed his concern over the decision to add a reserve day solely for the India-Pakistan Super 4 match during the Asia Cup in a stinging indictment of recent events in the tournament. Ranatunga, known for his candour, questioned the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) decision to hold the event in Colombo despite the ongoing possibility of significant rain.
Due to the impending rain forecast, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who are serving as the tournament’s hosts, hastily added a reserve day for the India-Pakistan match in Colombo last Friday. This last-minute choice caused controversy since it seemed to give Pakistan and India an unfair advantage, potentially undermining the level playing field.
Arjun Ranatunga, who is renowned as one of cricket’s astutest captains and leaders, was essential in turning Sri Lanka into a major cricketing power on the international scene. In addition to his stellar playing career, he also held the role of chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for a brief period of time and sat on the ICC Cricket Committee.
The 59-year-old voiced his reservations over the ACC and the International Cricket Council (ICC), describing them as weak organisations when up against influential cricket boards.
“I’m not sure if the ICC is operating right now or if it even exists. ICC is frequently described as the toothless tiger. They display highly unprofessional behaviour. They ought to examine and safeguard cricket, in my opinion. In the end, the ICC should be in charge of cricket, not a nation or an individual, he stated in an interview with Select Media.
“They don’t want to lose the opportunity.” Simply said, says Arjun Ranatunga in criticism of cricketers
This year’s Asia Cup has drawn criticism from the cricketing fraternity for everything from the method used to choose the event hosts to the use of a hybrid model and sticking with Colombo as the location despite poor weather. The World Cup-winning skipper further stated his disappointment over the cricketers’ silence on rule amendments introduced mid-tournament,
“Some of the things make me uncomfortable, especially when there is a tournament and the rules are altered for one team. You are facing an impending catastrophe. Nobody discusses it. Have you ever heard a cricket player discuss this rule change? No. Why? They don’t want to lose out on the money. Simple as that,” Ranatunga said, expressing regret.
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