Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga has won a legal battle in his attempt to head the country's cricket administration.

The Supreme Court in Colombo upheld a petition by Ranatunga, who is a member of parliament.

He had argued a proposed sports law which prevented politicians from holding office in sports bodies was a "violation of his fundamental rights".

The state was ordered to pay legal costs to the former cricket captain who led Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996.

I felt that someone was trying to drag me out of sports Arjuna Ranatunga

Sports Minister Johnston Fernando introduced the proposed law in parliament in February 2002 with the aim of de-politicising the country's sports administration.

However Ranatunga saw the law as a tool to stop him from becoming the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL).

He said: "When I heard about the policy, I felt that someone was trying to drag me out of sports, an area in which I wanted to help,"

He joined politics after retiring from international cricket in August 2000.

Ranatunga was elected a member of Sri Lanka's parliament a year later.