Sri Lanka Cricket President Shammi Silva and the SLC Executive Committee are preparing to resign, with the final decision to be made at a special executive meeting on Tuesday (April 28) and an official announcement expected on Wednesday, according to Ada Derana, which corroborated an earlier Lankadeepa report carried by Newswire.
Internal sources cited by Ada Derana said the Tuesday meeting will determine the fate of the current administration. If the board steps down, the government is expected to appoint an interim committee headed by former State Minister Eran Wickramaratne — the same governance structure floated in earlier media reports.
Silva was first elected as SLC President in February 2019 and has held the position for nearly seven years, securing a fourth consecutive term in March 2025. He also assumed the presidency of the Asian Cricket Council in December 2024.
Ada Derana said the move follows complaints made by a group including a prominent player agent and several senior cricketers, who reportedly met with top government officials to raise concerns over cricket administration. The pressure comes amid a series of strict and unpopular reforms introduced by the Silva-led administration, including tighter fitness standards for contracted players, mandatory disciplinary considerations in future contracts, and performance-based pay structures.
Other measures cited include match fee deductions for underperforming players, bonuses awarded only for victories against top-four ranked international teams, and a 10% match fee deduction if a Test, ODI or T20 series is lost.
The reported resignation would close out a period of escalating tension between the government and the SLC board. Earlier this week, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa explicitly denied media reports that the President had asked the SLC chairman to step down, and SLC CEO Ashley de Silva similarly told reporters the board had not been notified of any government move to seek the resignation of the executive committee.
SJB MP S.M. Marikkar had told reporters earlier this month that the President might remove the existing SLC board before May 1 as a “popular decision” ahead of Labour Day rallies. Silva’s tenure has been under scrutiny over questions of financial management, player welfare and ongoing legal disputes, including Nuwan Thushara’s IPL NOC litigation.
Sources: Newswire (citing Lankadeepa); Ada Derana.
