Shammi Silva, the beleaguered long-standing president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has resigned. The move was inevitable considering the president of the country, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has insisted on a change of dispensation in the national cricket body.
Former players Roshan Mahanama, Kumar Sangakkara and Sidath Wettymuny are among the nine-member interim committee, headed by Eran Wickramaratne, to run the SLC in an interim role. The other members of the committee are Tushira Radella, Avanthi Colombage, Prakash Schaffter, Upul Kumarapperuma and Dinal Philips.
Along with Silva, who has been heading the SLC since 2019, other office-bearers have also quit en-masse, as decided earlier. The resignations are with immediate effect paving the way for an Wickramaratne-led interim body to take charge.
"The President of Sri Lanka Cricket, Mr. Shammi Silva, has tendered his resignation from the post, effective today. Along with him, the office bearers and members of the Executive Committee of the SLC have also submitted their resignations," the SLC said in a statement.
"This decision has been formally communicated to His Excellency President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the Honorable Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Mr. Sunil Kumara Gamage," the statement further said.
The resignations follow a meeting of the executive committee of the SLC which met on Tuesday. The decision to leave en-masse was taken at the meeting. Reports suggest that the declining performance of the national men's team is seen as the reason for the government's intervention.The country's Sports Law of 1973 empowers the Sports Minister to dissolve sports federations, but any government intervention in an elected national body is, in principle, in contravention of the International Cricket Council (ICC) charter.
How the ICC will view the change remains to be seen, but reports indicate that the world body has been briefed about it with an assurance that the elections will be conducted soon.
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