Sri Lanka Cricket board meets ICC CEO Lorgat in Colombo

Sri Lanka Cricket board meets ICC CEO Lorgat in ColomboDubai, July 20 : ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat on Friday met with officials from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in Colombo as part of the ongoing process of information sharing with Members.

It was the fifth such meeting for Lorgat, having already caught up with the boards of Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa, New Zealand Cricket and the Pakistan Cricket Board.

And it followed last week's launch event in Mumbai for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, to be staged in the Asian sub-continent, including Sri Lanka.

Reflecting on Friday's meeting in Colombo, Mr Lorgat said: "As with the other Full Member boards, it was an extremely constructive engagement and I'm grateful to SLC's board members for making the time to meet.

"It served several purposes, one of which was to allow me to outline the ICC's strategic objectives and key challenges facing us as the world governing body and, by extension, our Members, something we have done in our previous presentations.

"On top of that it afforded me the perfect chance to offer an ICC perspective on, and our expectations from, the co-hosts for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.

"It also provided a perfect opportunity for me to thank SLC for its commitment to honour volunteers, something it subsequently demonstrated through the ceremony it staged in Colombo on Friday evening.

"Recognising the contributions of volunteers to our great sport with its great spirit is a key theme of the ICC's centenary year and SLC did a magnificent job of doing just that through that ceremony.

"It honoured 50 people who, in the eyes of the SLC officials, have given sterling service to the game in the country and the fact it was attended by national captain Kumar Sangakkara, former captains Mahela Jayawardena and Aravinda de Silva and the Sri Lanka Government Minister of Sports and Public Recreation Gamini Lokuge underlined the importance Sri Lanka Cricket places on the efforts of those volunteers.

"I hope the presentation I gave provided the SLC board with a clear understanding of what the ICC does and how it seeks to do it and that the clarity can help both parties continue to go forward united in the best interests of the game."

SLC Chairman DS de Silva said: "We are grateful for Haroon's time and his very informative and important presentation which offered an insight into the workings of the ICC and its future plans.

"The presentation will, no doubt, help SLC in its future endeavours, especially in mapping out strategies to develop the game of cricket."

Details of future visits to Member boards by ICC officials will be confirmed, announced and detailed in due course. (ANI)