COLOMBO: Authorities in Sri Lanka plan to arrest World Cup-winning cri­cket captain Arjuna Rana­tunga on corruption char­ges relating to his time as petroleum minister, a court was told Monday.

Ranatunga and his brother are accused of changing the procedure for awarding long-term oil procurement contracts, making spot purchases at a higher cost, a corruption watchdog said.

“The total loss to the state from 27 purchases is 800 million rupees,” the equivalent of just over $5 million at the time the deals were made in 2017, according to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

Arjuna was abroad and would be arrested on his return, the commission told Colombo Magistrate Asanga Bodaragama The former minister’s elder brother Dhammika Rana­tunga, then chairman of the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, was arrested on Monday and later released on bail.

The magistrate imposed a travel ban on Dhammika, who is a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and the United States. The next hearing is scheduled for March 13.

Arjuna, 62, a left-hand batter, lifted the 1996 Cricket World Cup for Sri Lanka after defeating Australia, his island nation’s greatest cricketing triumph.

The case against the Ranatunga brothers is part of a wider crackdown by the government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who came to power last year on a pledge to tackle endemic corruption.

Another Ranatunga brother, Prasanna, a former tourism minister, was arrested last month over an insurance fraud case.

That case is pending, but he had previously been convicted in June 2022 for extorting money from a businessman. He is on a two-year suspended prison term.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025

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Police armed with rifles will be part of a beefed up security presence at the third Test between Australia and England at Adelaide Oval after the Bondi Beach shooting attacks, officials said, while flags will be flown at half-mast.

South Australia state Premier Peter Malinauskas said extra measures would be in place for the Ashes clash that starts on Wednesday, although there was no intelligence pointing to an elevated threat level.

“Given the events that have occurred in Sydney, there will be additional protocols put in place at Adelaide Oval,” he said late Monday.

“This is done only as a precautionary measure, but it is appropriate that we are in an increasing sense of alertness just at the moment.”

An attack by a father and son on a Jewish celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday killed 15 people with dozens injured.
One of the assailants was killed, while the other is in a critical condition in hospital.
South Australia Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said special security-response police, armed with rifles, would be present in and around the Adelaide Oval during the Test.

“There’s a balance between the concern about police officers carrying rifles in and about the community, balanced with the need for us to be able to effectively respond to an event, should an event occur and these officers are specifically trained for that purpose,” he said.

“There’s no intelligence at this time to indicate that there are any increased levels of threat or security risks around the cricket or any other community event,” he said.

Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board released a joint statement to pay tribute to the Bondi Beach victims, saying they were “horrified”.

“All of our thoughts are with the victims, their friends and families, the Jewish community and the people of Australia at this deeply distressing time,” they said.

“Our condolences go out to all those affected.”

There will be a moment of silence observed before the Test and players from both sides will wear black armbands.

“While sport can seem insignificant at times like this, we have the unusual opportunity to bring millions of people together to pay tribute, to console and to contemplate what we want our nation to be,” said Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg.

“We will continue to look at ways cricket can support and honour those who have been affected by the Bondi shootings and thank those who provided assistance during and since this tragedy.”

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Shaheen Shah Afridi’s much-anticipated Big Bash League (BBL) debut turned sour as the Pakistan fast bowler was withdrawn from the attack for dangerous bowling during Brisbane Heat’s clash against Melbourne Renegades in Geelong.

Having opted to field, Heat endured a difficult evening as Shaheen struggled for control.

In the 18th over of the Renegades’ innings, the left-armer delivered two waist-high full tosses — one each to Tim Seifert and Ollie Peake — prompting the umpires to remove him from the bowling attack under the league’s safety regulations.

Shaheen reacted with a wry smile as Heat captain Nathan McSweeney was forced to complete the remaining two deliveries of the over.

The incident capped a testing initiation for the fast bowler, who finished with figures of 0-43 from 2.4 overs, conceding three no-balls and two wides.

The evening had begun on a more promising note, with Shaheen bowling three dot balls in his second over amid considerable fanfare, heightened by the presence of Pakistan team-mate Mohammad Rizwan, who was also making his BBL debut for the Renegades.

However, Shaheen soon lost his rhythm, missing his lengths and struggling with consistency.

He was not reintroduced until the 13th over, when the Renegades took the power surge, and was promptly taken for 19 runs.

Matters worsened in the 18th over, where he leaked 15 runs before being pulled out of the attack.

The Renegades capitalised fully, posting an imposing 212 for 5. Seifert led the charge with a commanding 102 off 56 balls, while Peake provided late impetus with 57 from 29 deliveries.

Rizwan, batting at No. 3, failed to make an impact, scoring four off 10 balls before being dismissed by left-arm spinner Paddy Dooley.

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