Colombo, April 29 (IANS) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Shammi Silva has resigned with immediate effect, along with the board’s executive committee. The resignations have been formally communicated to Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

“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.

“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,” said a statement from SLC on Wednesday.

Silva, 65, had been SLC President since 2019, and his resignation comes amid mounting criticism of the national men’s team’s decline and allegations of mismanagement. He was re-elected as SLC President unopposed in 2021 2023 and 2025.

Silva also served as the President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in 2025, where he succeeded Jay Shah for being in the top role. Sri Lanka’s failure to reach the Super Eights stage of this year’s T20 World Cup, which they co-hosted with India, has been cited as a trigger for change in the SLC administration.

Sri Lanka’s Sports Law of 1973 empowers the minister to dissolve sports federations, though such intervention in elected bodies runs counter to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) charter. It is understood the ICC has been briefed on the developments, though a timeline on fresh elections is yet to be clear.

Silva was previously ousted as SLC chief in 2023 after the national team had a poor ODI World Cup campaign in 2023, prompting a suspension of the board by the ICC. It also led to relocation of the 2024 Men’s Under‑19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa. Silva returned as SLC chief in 2025, but his seven‑year reign now appears to have ended for the good.

–IANS

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