Former Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Eran Wickramaratne has been named Chairman of a new nine-member Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee, hours after SLC President Shammi Silva and the entire Executive Committee resigned and the sport’s administration was placed under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage announced the appointments on Wednesday afternoon. The committee comprises former Sri Lankan cricketers Roshan Mahanama, Sidath Wettimuny and Kumar Sangakkara, alongside Prakash Schaffter, Dinal Phillips, Avanthi Colombage, Upul Kumarapperuma and Thushira Raddella.
The Sports Ministry said the minister had accepted the SLC Executive Committee’s resignations and, under powers granted by Sections 31 and 34 of the Sports Law No. 25 of 1973, brought SLC’s administration under the ministry with immediate effect.
“This is not an interim committee. What we need is not an interim arrangement, but a transformation,” Minister Gamage said following the appointments. “We want to transform cricket in Sri Lanka and take it from where it is now to a better place. That is a challenging task.” Deputy Sports Minister Sugath Thilakaratne attended the ceremony.
Wickramaratne, a Royal College alumnus, captained the school’s Second XI and represented the First XI before earning selection to the Sri Lanka Schools Cricket Team. He played for Tamil Union as an opening batsman from 1977 and turned out in the Kent Amateur League in England before reading for a postgraduate degree in economics at the University of London. He spent 15 years as a banking-sector chief executive before entering politics as an MP, State Minister and Deputy Minister.
The committee will function until fresh elections are held at SLC, focusing on administrative and structural reforms. The handover follows weeks of government pressure on the Silva-led ExCo over a strict reform package and discontent within the player and selector ranks.
In a Thursday statement, Wickramaratne said he had accepted the chairmanship after extensive discussions with former cricketers and team captains, with his role taking effect April 29. He set out two pillars for the committee’s reform agenda: a complete overhaul of SLC governance, including a new constitution aligned with International Cricket Council rules and embedded transparency, anti-corruption and professionalism standards; and on-field excellence through new structures, world-class facilities and incentive mechanisms aimed at restoring Sri Lanka’s global rankings. “It is an honour for me to lead a committee of nine individuals of integrity and experience,” he said, pledging to deliver “sustainable results” with the support and constructive criticism of cricket fans.
Sports Minister Gamage said in a separate Monday briefing that the committee will hold its inaugural meeting in the week of May 5–9 and that letters of appointment had been formally handed to four of its members — Sidath Wettimuni, Avanthi Colombage, Prakash Schaffter and Thushira Raddella. He said the body’s mandate extends beyond overseeing fresh elections to broader structural reforms, and described its members as having been selected solely on competence “without consideration of religion, ethnicity, political affiliation or past positions”. Similar interventions, the Minister noted, had already been carried out in rugby.
The Sports Ministry confirmed in a follow-up notice on Tuesday that veteran cricketers Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara — both key members of the committee — are currently overseas and will receive their official appointment letters immediately upon their return to Sri Lanka, The Island reported.
In a televised interview on May 4, Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake — the political heavyweight who proposed Wickramaratne — defended the cross-party appointment. “Cricket doesn’t have to be left-wing,” he said. “We needed a suitable and talented administrator. Eran Wickramaratne was selected because he is a former cricketer with knowledge of the game.” Rathnayake said the National People’s Power was not confined to JVP or NPP members and that cricket’s revival required collaboration: “We are not considering whether it’s SJB, UNP, or LTTE. We are simply focused on a suitable and accomplished individual.” He noted Sri Lanka had not qualified for a semi-final in any format over the past decade and that Wickramaratne would be flanked by “cricketing greats Kumar Sangakkara, Sidath Wettimuny, Roshan Mahanama, and others.” Wickramaratne has since resigned from the SJB.
The committee held its inaugural meeting on May 6 under Wickramaratne’s chairmanship, NewsFirst reported. All members attended except Kumar Sangakkara, who is currently engaged in the IPL and is expected to take up his responsibilities once the tournament concludes. The meeting moved to establish three sub-committees covering cricket operations, administration and procurement. Key items on the agenda included the appointment of Sri Lanka’s director to the International Cricket Council, the selection of an alternate ICC director, and the nomination of a director to represent Sri Lanka at the Asian Cricket Council.
In a separate Tuesday briefing, Sports Minister Gamage said the previous SLC administration had stepped down after acknowledging its inability to rebuild the sport. “We experienced it clearly during the last World Cup,” he said, referring to Sri Lanka’s performances and what he described as broader issues within cricket administration. “Considering all those matters, they resigned from these positions,” he said of the SLC president and committee members. The minister again endorsed Wickramaratne as “a capable administrator, a good politician and also a skilled cricketer”.
Sources: Newswire (announcement), Newswire (transformation framing), NewsFirst (members), NewsFirst (Eran profile), Newswire (Eran statement), NewsFirst (vision), Newswire (Bimal explanation), NewsFirst (first meeting), The Island (official appointments), NewsFirst (first meeting), Newswire (Gamage rationale).
