Sri Lanka is among several countries facing issues in the USA during the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup, Sports Minister Harin Fernando said on Friday.
Addressing the Parliament today, Minister Harin Fernando said that through Sri Lanka’s Director General of Sports, a written inquiry has been made from the International Cricket Council (ICC) on the various issues being faced by the Sri Lanka national team at the World Cup.
He further said that an official had been appointed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to inquire into the issues faced by the team, adding that the official was in the US to help resolve the issues.
The Sports Minister also responded to the various concerns raised regarding the national team at the ongoing international cricket tournament.
Addressing the 7-hour delay at a US airport, the Sports Minister said Sri Lanka was not the only nation that had faced this situation and that the Ireland and South African teams too experienced flight delays.
“All three cricket teams faced a delay due to technical difficulties caused by the flight. This resulted in the teams being stranded at the Florida airport for 07- hours,” he said.
Minister Fernando said that the SLC has launched an inquiry into the matter and has also lodged a complaint with the ICC in this regard.
The Sports Minister also revealed that several cricket teams received preferential treatment in the USA.
“It has been found that Bangladesh is the team that has the most distance to travel from its accommodation to the stadium. Sri Lanka comes in next. Two other teams are placed at the same hotel as Sri Lanka and are facing similar issues,” he said.
Stating that USA Cricket is currently banned by the ICC, Minister Harin Fernando said that the World Cup is being conducted by the ICC in the US amidst several issues.
Responding to the Sports Minister’s clarification, Opposition leader MP Sajith Premadasa raised a question on the unsuitable pitches offered in New York, which was acknowledged by the ICC in a recent statement.
Sports Minister Harin Fernando explained that the said pitches cannot be rated as they will be removed after the conclusion of the World Cup, as they are a temporary set-up.
Revealing that he had travelled to the US ahead of the tournament to oversee preparations, Minister Fernando said that during Sri Lanka’s practice match, it was evident that the pitches in New York were not up to standard.
On the Opposition Leader’s question regarding the distance from the accommodation to the stadium, the Sports Minister explained that the travel time of the team has been affected due to the traffic in New York City.
Minister Harin Fernando assured that the Sports Ministry will conduct a probe into the failure to resolve the issues faced by the Sri Lankan cricket team in the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in the USA. (Newswire)