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Lanka players' signature campaign backfires

A move by some senior Sri Lankan cricketers to obtain signatures from their teammates in order to nullify allegations made by former cricket coach Bruce Yardley, about ill-treatment of players, has backfired.

According to the Daily Mirror, the signatures were to be presented at a media panel discussion, scheduled for tonight, in which sacked skipper Arjuna Ranatunga would be speaking publicly for the first time after he was removed from captaincy of the team which performed dismally at the World Cup in England. The panel discussion is to be telecast live by a private channel.

The move to enlist the signatures had to be abandoned as several members representing Sri Lanka refused to sign. A few others had not wished to go against the people behind the document, the report said.

Yardley, during a press interview in Australia last week, charged that Ranatunga and his former deputy, Aravinda de Silva, had treated members of the team as ''servants".

Yardley, a former Australian off-spin bowler, was himself sacked as coach of Sri Lanka two years ago. He claimed his sacking was the result of his views, aired two years ago, that Sanath Jaysuriya should replace Ranatunga as captain.

At a press conference here on Monday, Jayasuriya declined to comment on Yardley's remarks, saying he (Jayasuriya) also read the news and was only looking forward to the future.

Meanwhile, counsel for the deposed president of the Board of Cricket Control of Sri Lanka said sports minister S B Dissanayake's action in appointing an interim board was illegal and in excess of the powers of the minister.

Challenging the appointment of the interim committee to manage the BCCSL, K N Choksy argued before the court of appeal yesterday that the decision of the sports minister to appoint an interim body was ex-facie illegal and cannot stand. He asked the court to quash the decision.

Choksy said the minister should have made an order of suspension or cancellation of the board, as otherwise two bodies would be in existence, whose functions would be the same.

In another significant development, Sri Lanka's Susantika Jayasinghe, who is presently training and competing at international meets in America, will run at the eighth SAF Games, scheduled to be held from September 24 to October 4 in Nepal.

''There is every possibility that Susantika will run in the SAF Games,'' the sports minister said.

UNI