N Krishnamurthy, in Cricket Age, 21 September 2018. with this headline “Ravin Wickramaratne Instructs Rupavahini To Avoid 1996 World Cup Heroes For ICC Trophy Events”
During Thilanga Sumathipala’s disastrous two years regime at Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC), one of his particular associates, Ravin Wickramaratne, was the most controversial administrators, as his involvement was exposed in domestic match fixing and countless overseas tours as assistant secretary of the board. Now, Sumathipala has perished, but Ravin is still flying high, though in different field. Few days ago, the country’s President Maithripala Sirisena had ‘mysteriously’ appointed him as his representative at Rupavahini Corporation to look after his ‘interests’.
Immediately, Ravin has started manipulating things!
In his latest attempt to fulfill his Boss Sumathipala’s agendas, Ravin has instructed the Rupavahini staff to bycot the heroes of Sri Lanka’s greatest ODI triumph in 1996.
Currently, the ICC 2019 World Cup trophy is in Sri Lanka. As the ICC event broadcaster, Rupavahini is authorized to organize ICC trophy’s entire tour of Sri Lanka. Accordingly, country’s President Maithripala Sirisena is scheduled to meet all the players of 1996 world Cup winning players at his residence today to handing over the ICC trophy to head of states.
However, Ravin has deliberately made sure that none of the world cup winning players would be invited. He personally instructed Rupavahini staff to not to invite them by saying that it is not that important. “Right after his appointment, he is trying to interfere in other’s territories and our staff members are already sensing his intentions” a Rupavahini staff member told Cricket Age.
However, when the director general of Rupavahini came to know about Ravin’s intentions, he personally called most of the world cup winning members and invited them for the event. “It seems, on Sumathipala’s instructions, Ravin is trying to create a dispute between us and honorable President” one of the world cup winning member told Cricket Age.