Ranatunga slams SLC for capitulating to ICC's reforms for 'Big Three'

Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has slammed Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) stance on the Big Three- India, Australia and England, and said that it could have an adverse impact in the longer run.

SLC had originally refrained from voting on the revised proposal at the ICC meeting in Singapore but later their executive committee decided to support the governance, finance and Future Tours Programme (FTP) changes in the ICC proposed by the Big Three.

According to The Dawn, Ranatunga expressed disappointment at SLC's stance of taking a U-turn and decided to support the revised ICC draft and fears that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have a “different agenda”.

Ranatunga, who led Sri Lanka to victory in the 1996 World Cup, also said that had the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and SLC joined hands, the current situation would have been different.

The report mentioned that at the moment, the PCB is the only cricket board, which has not approved the proposed revamp.

Ranatunga further said that the countries supportive of the Big Three proposal might get benefited in the near future but in the longer run, all these countries would struggle, leading to widespread problems ultimately in the world game.

On the Asia Cup final on coming Saturday between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Ranatunga pinned hopes with his home side but admitted that the unpredictable nature of Pakistan could turn the result around.

Image: Arjuna Ranatunga

Photograph: Anuruddha Lokuhapuarachchi/Reuters