Sri Lanka Cricket President Resigns: What Does It Mean?

Sri Lanka Cricket's president Shammi Silva has resigned along with his executive committee after facing pressure from the country's president, raising concerns about potential ICC intervention.

Shammi Silva

IMAGE: Shammi Silva has served as the president of the Asian Cricket Council, succeeding Jay Shah in 2025. Photograph: Kind Courtesy Sri Lanka Cricket/X

Key Points

Shammi Silva, Sri Lanka Cricket's chief, and his executive committee resigned.
The resignation follows pressure from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for a new administration.
The government had been considering sacking Silva due to complaints and poor team performance.
The ICC may react due to concerns about political interference.

Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) under-fire chief Shammi Silva and members of his executive committee on Tuesday resigned from their posts at a special meeting in Colombo, after the country's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake called for new administration to take over.

The decision was arrived at after a deliberation that lasted nearly three hours, an executive committee source said.

Future of Sri Lanka Cricket administration

Members of the committee, however, were tight-lipped about what could be in store after they send their resignation letters to sports minister Sunil Kumara Gamage on Wednesday.

The key meeting of the governing body was convened by Silva, following President Dissanayake's request to resign.

Silva met Dissanayake last week in the face of calls to quit from his post at SLC.

Government's concerns and actions

The government since early March was contemplating a move to sack Silva following complaints from players and the Sri Lanka national team's poor performances in the international arena.

The government has already decided on the names to take over the SLC affairs in the interim, sources said.

Shammi Silva's tenure and ICC reaction

Silva, who first won the SLC presidency in 2019 by majority votes of member clubs, was re-elected uncontested in 2021 2023 and 2025.

Silva also served as the President of the Asian Cricket Council, succeeding India's Jay Shah in 2025.

An ICC reaction to Silva's exit due to political interference is awaited. When the then sports minister sacked Silva in December 2023, the ICC promptly suspended Sri Lanka's membership, claiming political interference in local governing body administrations is against ICC governing rules.

Silva, who successfully contested his sacking at the time, was reinstated by the court.