Shammi Silva re-elected as Sri Lanka Cricket chief for fourth consecutive term

IANS March 31, 2025 129 views

Shammi Silva has secured an unprecedented fourth consecutive term as Sri Lanka Cricket president, demonstrating remarkable administrative resilience. His re-election comes after navigating complex challenges including a previous ICC suspension and ministerial conflicts. Silva's leadership spans multiple cricket governance roles, including positions on international committees and the Asian Cricket Council. His continued presidency suggests stability for Sri Lankan cricket despite recent turbulent years.

"Resilience defines leadership in challenging times" - Cricket Administration Insight
New Delhi, March 31: Shammi Silva has been re-elected as president of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) for a fourth consecutive term. SLC added that Silva was elected uncontested for the third time during its ongoing 64th Annual General Meeting in Colombo and the same was confirmed by the Election Committee, led by retired Justice Malani Gunaratne.

Key Points

1

Silva returns for fourth term amid previous ICC suspension controversy

2

Elected uncontested during 64th SLC Annual General Meeting

3

Serves as Asian Cricket Council president

4

Overcame previous ministerial conflict with sports ministry

Silva's fourth term as SLC president will start from 2025 and run till 2027. Last year, Silva assumed charge as the new Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president after Jay Shah became the new chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from December 1.

He also serves as Sri Lanka’s representative on the ICC Board, as well as working as a member of the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs, Nominations, and HR & Remuneration Committees. Silva played cricket for the Colombo Cricket Club in 1983/84 and was a member, manager and coach of the Sri Lanka squash national team before foraying into cricket administration.

Silva’s previous tenure as SLC president was marred by his clash with previous sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe in 2023. Ranasinghe had formed an interim committee in the aftermath of Sri Lanka exiting the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup in the group stage, and that had led to the country’s suspension from the ICC.

Due to that, Sri Lanka lost out on hosting the 2024 Under-19 Men's World Cup, as it was later shifted to South Africa. Later on, Ranasinghe was sacked, and the court reinstated the Silva-led SLC administration.

Several of the other office bearers for the SLC 2025–2027 term have been elected unopposed. The rest of the officer-bearers are Dr Jayantha Dharmadasa and Ravin Wickramaratne (vice-presidents), Bandula Dissanayake (secretary), Sujeewa Godaliyadda (treasurer), Chryshantha Kapuwatte (assistant secretary) and Lasantha Wickremasinghe (assistant treasurer).

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