President Ranil Wickremesinghe last week faced a googly from Indian Firstpost presenter Palki Sharma in a widely telecast interview recorded in Colombo when she blandly asked him: “Is Jay Shah running Sri Lanka Cricket?”

RW: No, Jay Shah does not run Sri Lanka Cricket.

Sharma: So why is he being dragged into this?

RW: They think Jay Shah is supporting me.

Wickremesinghe said he had spoken to Shah and said he was sorry that Shah’s name was dragged into this and apologized.Shah had responded his position was that he would back whoever is the legal body saying: I will back this lot if it is the legal body and if the other lot is the legal body, he would back them. That was not a matter decided by him (Shah).The president also said e wants to bring legislation that will take away the power of the minister to intervene and interfere. That has gone on for many years and must change and a new draft law to do that is being prepared.

Sharma said more than the game, politics that was bothersome. There was a lot that happened when the sports minister dismissed the Cricket Board and the courts reinstated it. Then the ICC suspended SLC. The board is alleged to have said there was political interference. Her question was what was really happening?

Wickremesinghe he had received the letters allegedly written to the ICC by the board of control. He had not looked at them yet. He (the president) knew the ICC was going to suspend Sri Lanka anyway. He knew there was an effort to save the Under 19 tournament. But that didn’t work and we have lost out on that.He was waiting to see the court decision on the interim committee. Once that is available we’ll talk to the ICC.