Prof. Arjuna De Silva, the chairman of the country’s anti doping agency, will be heading the 5-member ‘Interim’ committee of Sri Lanka Cricket Board, Cricket Age exclusively learns.
SLC CEO Ashley De Silva, Sujeewa Mudslige, Uchitha Wickramasinghe and Amal Edirisooriya will be other members of the committee.
Cricket Age understand that the Sports Ministry has already sent it to the government press to be gazetted and Monday it will be published.
Prof. Arjuna is currently serving as the head of the SLC medical panel as well. As Anti doping agency in Sri Lanka is an affiliated body of WADA (World Anti Doping Agency), it will be interesting to see whether Prof. Arjuna will have to resign from his previous post, if he wishes to continue as administrative head of the SLC.
“The five member committee will be overseeing the day to day affairs at Maitland Place till the next SLC election” a top Sports Ministry official told Cricket Age.
This came in the wake of country’s Attorney-General (AG) Department’s recommendation that the present office-bearers term had expired on 20 February and that SLC should be placed under a new management committee till the elections on 20 May.
“According to the gazette notification, Mr. Shammi Silva administration term will be deemed as valid till April 5. It has been gazetted as per Attorney-General (AG) Department’s recommendation” the top Sports Ministry official added.
It is noteworthy that the Sports Ministry had sought legal advice from the AG after Colombo Colts CC challenged the legality of the current administration headed by Shammi Silva pointing out that their two-year term in office according to the SLC constitution had ended on 20 February. As its two-year term had ended, the petitioning club President Nishantha Ranatunga and Secretary Maj. Gen. Shiran Abeysekera had asked the Minister to appoint a caretaker for administration of the multi-million dollar sport until after the poll.
“Following the special directive, current office bearers administrative decisions after February 20, like appointment of cricket director Tom Moody, will remain valid” the Sports Ministry official added.
The election is scheduled to be held on the 20th of May at 10.30 AM at the Ministry of Sports Auditorium. If it takes place, an election of office bearers to Sri Lanka Cricket will go down in history as the most dubious and foul-play ridden ballot that the Shammi Silva camp is expected to wrap up on May 20.
