Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage said on Monday the Ministry of Sports has not issued any official statement on reports of an imminent leadership change at Sri Lanka Cricket, describing the claims as “reports circulating on social media.”
The minister was responding to media queries on the Lankadeepa-sourced report that current SLC President Shammi Silva is set to step down on Wednesday after seven years and be replaced by former Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP and State Minister Eran Wickramaratne.
“We have not made any official statement as a ministry on this matter yet. These are reports circulating on social media,” Gamage said.
The minister added that the ministry intends to hold a media briefing and release an official statement in due course. “We expect to hold a media briefing and will release an official statement to the media. We can discuss further after that,” he said.
The ministerial response keeps the government’s posture deliberately ambiguous. Earlier in the week, Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa explicitly denied that the President had asked the SLC chairman to step down, and SLC Chief Executive Ashley de Silva told reporters the board had not been notified of any government move to seek the resignation of the executive committee.
Silva was first elected SLC President in February 2019 and most recently secured a fourth consecutive term in March 2025. He has also held the presidency of the Asian Cricket Council since December 2024. The Lankadeepa report has not yet been independently corroborated by Ada Derana or NewsFirst.
