da realbet： The Sports Ministry in Sri Lanka denied on Wednesday that the forthcoming India and New Zealand tours to Sri Lanka in July would face any disruption because of the cash crisis that engulfed the cricket board on Monday when their bankaccounts were
CricInfo24-May-2001The Sports Ministry in Sri Lanka denied on Wednesday that the forthcoming India and New Zealand tours to Sri Lanka in July would face any disruption because of the cash crisis that engulfed the cricket board on Monday when their bankaccounts were frozen by the High Court.Secretary of the Sports Ministry, Dr Ramanujan, expects the two tours tocost 25 million rupees (USD $ 280,000) and believes that a government loancan be sought to cover this expense should the need arise.”Cricket is the most important game in this country and we will make surethat it is not disrupted,” he promised.The Sports Minister, Lakshmann Kiriella, is expected to submit a proposal tothe cabinet shortly requesting the loan from the Treasury.Members of the Interim Committee, however, are believed to be confident thatthe court order issued on Monday, which prohibits the Bank of Ceylon fromreleasing cricket board funds because of the ongoing dispute over thedecision to dissolve the board in March, will be overturned swiftly. Thecase returns to court on June 1.In a separate case, filed by the former secretary and treasurer of thedissolved board, which is at an appeal stage and is entering the second dayof proceedings, a decision is expected soon.The ex-board members are requesting that the court suspends the InterimCommittee, appointed by the Sports Minister straight after the boarddissolution, arguing that there was no due reason for it’s dissolution andthat the process of dissolution was itself plagued by proceduralmalpractice.Solicitor General C.R. de Silva argued yesterday in court that thesuspension of the Interim Committee would bring cricket in Sri Lanka to agrinding halt at an important time.