The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Executive Committee Wednesday approved Mahela Jayawardene’s recommendations to back Shammi Silva and Mohan De Silva in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) election, despite desperate attempts by a certain camp to vote against it, Cricket Age exclusively learns.
The SLC election to select new office bearers for the next two years is scheduled to take place virtually today, even as the opposition camp – comprising of K. Mathivanan, Bandula Warnapura, and Nishantha Ranatunga – has decided to withdraw from the Maitland Place race.
Cricket Age had exclusively published on April 30 itself that Mahela, former captain and SSC Cricket house committee chairman, recommended his club to vote for Shammi Silva Camp candidates in the board election.
“It was decided unanimously to voting for Mr. Shammi Silva out of two candidates, as three other candidates have been proposed by the club for other posts” Mahela had remarked in his recommendation.
For the vice president post also, Mahela had recommended to vote for SSC stalwart Samantha Dodenwela. In case if Dodenwela withdraw his name, then only Mahela had recommended to vote for Former SLC vice president K. Mathivanan Camp candidate Bandula Warnapura.
Carrying the same pattern intact, Mahela had recommended his club to vote for Mohan De Silva for the Secretary post, ignoring Nishantha Ranatunga, K. Mathivanan Camp candidate for the same post! The logic behind Mahela’s choice was that Mohan De Silva has contributed significantly to SSC both as player and administrator.
“Few Members strongly opposed Mahela’s recommendation to back Shammi Silva. However, in the end the Executive Committee approved it. Also, Mr. Samantha Dodenwela has informed the club that he has withdrawn from the election” an Insider at SSC told Cricket Age.
The SLC elections, meanwhile, will be a one-horse race for the Shammi Silva camp after Mathivanan camp withdrew from the elections alleging irregularities in the process. This year, 142 votes cast by regional associations and clubs (comprising four provincial associations, six other cricket associations such as the Defense Services Sports Board and the Sri Lanka University Sports Association, 22 district associations, 28 controlling clubs and 22 affiliated clubs) will decide the office bearers for Sri Lanka Cricket.
Today’s elections will be conducted on Zoom with the following candidates are to be elected to office uncontested for the next two years:
- President: Shammi Silva
- Vice Presidents: Jayantha Dharmadasa, Raveen Wickramaratne
- Secretary: Mohan de Silva
- Assistant Secretary: Chryshantha Kapuwatte
- Treasurer: Lasantha Wickremasinghe
- Assistant Treasurer: Sujeeva Godaliyadda
