Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Thursday it is unaware of any move by the government to request the resignation of its Executive Committee members, including President Shammi Silva.
“We have also seen some reports in the media. But we have not been notified of anything. We are not aware of anything of that nature,” SLC Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva told a press conference in Colombo.
His remarks came in response to questions about reports circulating earlier this week that the government had asked the SLC ExCo to step down, with particular focus on the position of the board president. A Sri Lankan daily had named former Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne as the proposed head of an interim committee to oversee cricket administration.
SLC’s formal denial follows a similar statement on Wednesday by Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa, who told reporters that neither the government, the president nor the Sports Minister had discussed replacing the board. The twin denials — from the Cabinet and now from SLC itself — appear to close, at least publicly, the channel through which such a directive could have been transmitted.
The reports emerged amid several concurrent governance and selection controversies at Sri Lanka Cricket. SJB MP S.M. Marikkar this week said the president might remove the existing board before 1 May as a “popular decision” ahead of Labour Day rallies, citing unnamed sources. Marikkar had said he could not personally verify the reports.
De Silva did not comment on whether the SLC ExCo would step down voluntarily. The board’s current term is running through ongoing disputes over the ExCo election schedule and selection panel composition.
