Sri Lanka Cricket’s executive committee stepped down on Tuesday after the government asked the board to make way for a new administration, bringing an abrupt end to Shammi Silva’s tenure as president.
A board official confirmed that Silva convened a special meeting to announce his resignation, with 11 months still remaining in his fourth two-year term. An interim management team, headed by a former investment banker who also serves as an opposition politician, will now take charge.
“The committee resigned to make way for an interim management team,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had met with Silva over the weekend to discuss the board’s future under new management, a government official confirmed.
Sri Lanka Cricket is the country’s wealthiest sporting body but has long been dogged by allegations of corruption and mismanagement. Those concerns came to a head in November 2023, when the International Cricket Council suspended Sri Lanka’s membership, citing political interference in the running of the national board. The suspension was lifted at the end of January 2024, and Silva’s committee was subsequently restored. He went on to win a fourth term as president, running uncontested.
The resignation comes at a turbulent time for Sri Lankan cricket. The national team made an early exit from the T20 World Cup, which Sri Lanka co-hosted with India in February and March, adding to the pressure on the board’s leadership in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s announcement.
