Sri Lanka Cricket faces fresh controversy after reports of an ICC election warning were strongly denied by the President’s Media Division.
Sri Lanka Cricket has been pushed into fresh controversy after conflicting claims emerged over ICC Chairman Jay Shah’s meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The Daily Mirror reported that the International Cricket Council had requested President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to hold Sri Lanka Cricket elections on or before July 31.
According to the report, failure by local authorities to conduct the election within that timeframe could create a serious risk of Sri Lanka being placed once again on the ICC’s “blacklist.”
The newspaper stated that these matters were discussed during a meeting between ICC Chairman Jay Shah and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat during Shah’s recent visit to Sri Lanka.
It further reported that the ICC Chairman had expressed displeasure over the politicisation of Sri Lanka’s cricket administration and requested that elections be held before the stipulated date.
Sri Lanka was previously suspended by the ICC in 2023 over political interference in cricket administration. The Daily Mirror report warned that any further delay in elections could expose the country to a similar ban.
Jay Shah also held discussions with the President and several key Sri Lanka Cricket stakeholders. Attention was reportedly drawn to the new interim committee, known as the Transformational Committee, appointed under former Parliamentarian Eranga Wickramaratne to oversee SLC affairs.
Following the resignation of former SLC Chairman Shammi Silva and the Executive Committee, the Sports Ministry temporarily took over cricket administration and appointed the new interim committee to carry out structural reforms and draft a new constitution.
However, the ICC strictly follows its Policy on Political Non-Interference, which requires cricket administration to remain independent and free from political control.
In 2023, after poor performances by Sri Lanka at the World Cup, the then-government moved to dissolve the cricket board and appoint an interim committee, prompting the ICC to suspend Sri Lanka’s membership. That suspension was later lifted in January 2024.
Following continuous complaints from players and other issues, Shammi Silva resigned after an announcement made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in April. The Executive Committee also later resigned, paving the way for a new interim committee comprising former national players including Kumar Sangakkara and Roshan Mahanama.
PMD Rejects Blacklist Report
The President’s Media Division issued a statement strongly denying the Daily Mirror headline story published today under the title claiming that the ICC had informed President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that Sri Lanka Cricket would be blacklisted if elections were not held.
The PMD said the report was completely false and misleading.
Issuing a special statement on behalf of the government, the PMD said the newspaper report had no factual basis and had deliberately distorted the discussion held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and ICC Chairman Jay Shah at the Presidential Secretariat.
The government emphasized that no final declaration, threat of suspension, or pressure to hold elections took place during the discussion.
The PMD further stated that, as publicly confirmed by both the President and the ICC Chairman through the X social media platform, the discussion focused only on positive matters.
These included the development of cricket in Sri Lanka, strengthening grassroots and youth cricket programs, and expanding opportunities for young players.
The controversy now places Sri Lanka Cricket back under intense public attention, with one side warning of a possible ICC crisis and the government insisting the meeting was about cricket development, not blacklisting.
