ICC Chairman Jay Shah is set to meet President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka Cricket faces pressure over its interim committee.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka today for a brief visit that could shape the next chapter of Sri Lanka Cricket’s administration.
Government sources said Shah is expected to hold a special discussion with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during his stay in the island.
Shah is due to arrive in Sri Lanka through the newly inaugurated direct flight operating from Ahmedabad to Colombo.
Key Issue Behind The Meeting
The main focus of the discussion is expected to be the interim committee currently appointed to administer Sri Lanka Cricket.
The International Cricket Council is understood to strongly believe that the appointment of interim committees runs contrary to existing ICC regulations governing the operation and independence of national cricket bodies.
The present interim committee was appointed by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage in late April to take control of Sri Lanka Cricket.
ICC Letter Calls For Quick Elections
According to cricket sources, the ICC sent a special letter last week to Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley De Silva.
Although the contents of the letter have not been officially released to the public, sources believe the global cricket body has stressed the need to hold democratic elections without further delay.
The purpose of such an election would be to restore legitimacy to the country’s cricket administration and ensure that Sri Lanka Cricket functions in line with ICC expectations.
However, the interim committee had reportedly hoped to secure additional time from the ICC to carry out reforms.
Those reforms were expected to include the drafting of a new constitution for the cricket governing body.
Previous Administration And Political Pressure
The interim committee was appointed to replace the Executive Committee led by Shammi Silva.
Silva’s administration was originally due to continue in office until May next year.
However, following strong displeasure expressed by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake over the performance of the previous committee, Shammi Silva and his team were compelled to resign from their positions.
Earlier ICC Suspension Still Looms Large
The current situation carries added sensitivity because of what happened during an earlier attempt to remove the Shammi Silva-led administration.
In 2024, when the then-Sports Minister moved to remove Silva’s administration, the ICC responded by suspending Sri Lanka’s membership.
As a damaging consequence, Sri Lanka lost the hosting rights for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, which was later awarded to South Africa.
The suspension was subsequently lifted after Shammi Silva was reinstated as head of the cricket institution through a local court order.
Cricket followers now hope the meeting between Jay Shah and President Dissanayake will lead to a clear decision on the future of Sri Lanka Cricket’s administration.
