Departure of Shammi and entry of Eran & Co.

The resignation of Shammi Silva together with the Executive Committee members of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the resultant appointment of Cricket Transformation Committee led by banker-turned politician Eran Wickramaratne has given renewed hopes for the revival of the most popular sport in Sri Lanka.

The FT View for a considerable period of time exposed the shortcomings of the Shammi Silva-led administration, and how the former Nalanda College Cricket Captain was driving the sport in the country downhill by his short-sighted and hasty decisions. Shammi was once a close ally of politico-businessman Thilanga Sumathipla, widely considered as the godfather who led the foundation to the long-term decline of the most cherished sport in the nation.

Shammi was first elected President of the SLC in February 2019 and then went on to retain the position after winning three more elections uncontested. Prior to that, he had been a Vice President of the administrative body of the game under the controversial Thilanga Sumathipala – another Old Nalandian - during several stints. During Shammi’s tenure, the national cricket team suffered embarrassing defeats at global cricket tournaments and for the first time in the history, Sri Lanka could not gain eligibility to play in the ICC Championship Trophy (in 2025).

The decision by Shammi and Co. to appoint Sanath Jayasuriya as coach of the national team despite the former cricketer-turned politician not possessing any coaching credentials was severely criticised by many cricket pundits. Furthermore, establishing international cricket stadiums in areas like Jaffna by spending colossal sums of money defied any logic while nominating Pramodya Wickremesinghe to the post of Chief Selector, during whose previous tenure the national cricket team’s performance marked a disastrous decline, was a step backwards.

In the aftermath of the embarrassing performance of the national team at the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup, public hostility against Shammi and his fellow office bearers escalated considerably. A popular media network, which is sympathetic to the ruling NPP administration, carried out an extensive campaign against Shammi & Co, calling for their exit from Maitland Crescent. Having recognised the public outcry against the previous cricket administrators could undermine the popularity of the Government too, top leaders of the Government would have felt the pressure to act decisively, leading to the resignation of the elected office bearers, reportedly in response to the request of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

To replace the failed administration, the Government has appointed a Cricket Transformation Committee led by former MP Eran Wickramaratne. The newly appointed committee includes illustrious former cricketers of impeccable integrity and standing in the calibre of Sidath Wettimuny, Roshan Mahanama and Kumar Sangakkara, whose expertise and experience would be extremely valuable in terms of restructuring and overhauling the entire cricket ecosystem in the island. It also includes experienced cricket club administrators like Dinal Phillips and Prakash Schaftter who have helped a number of outstation cricketers to transform their lives apart from becoming top-level cricketers – e.g. Dhananjaya de Silva, Suranga Lakmal, etc.

Upon assuming the helm of the administrative body, Eran had pledged sweeping reforms to restore public trust and performance in the SLC. The former banker had said reforms would be driven through strengthening governance and improving on-field performance. Emphasising the need for a complete overhaul of the SLC’s administrative framework, including the implementation of a new constitution aligned with the International Cricket Council regulations, Eran had stressed on the need to ensure transparency, accountability, and merit-based management while restoring public confidence in the institution.

Apart from improvements in the governance structure, cricketers themselves need to transform their attitudes for the better in addition to becoming more disciplined and committed individuals to achieve success both on and off the field. Degeneration in the thinking patterns and fitness levels of players too has contributed in no small measure towards the downfall of the most popular sport in the country.