Mathi resigns, JAYANTHA RETURNS

KMathivanan resigned as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Vice President yesterday, alleging that the current SLC administration carried out its duties without “transparency and integrity” and ignored objections he made at Executive and Management Committee meetings. 

Not long after Mathivanan announced his resignation yesterday SLC said that its Executive Committee had unanimously decided to appoint former President Jayantha Dharmadasa to the vacant Vice President post. 

“The Executive Committee at its Emergency Meeting held this afternoon, accepted the resignation of Mr. Mathivanan and proceeded with appointing a Vice President for the position vacant in terms of the provisions of the Constitution of Sri Lanka Cricket,” an SLC media release said. 

The release also claimed that Mathivanan had tendered his resignation in the wake of a unanimous decision of the Executive Committee to hold an inquiry against Mathivanan for “indulging in unethical practices in his capacity as an Office Bearer,” though there was no specifics on what action had led to these charges. 

Mathivanan had already served three terms in the same position (2012, 2013 and 2016) when he was re-elected in February last year – the only elected office bearer that did not belong to the Shammi Silva-led group that almost unanimously swept the board at the last SLC elections.

Mathivanan claimed the SLC administration had ignored convention in side-lining him. 

“According to the Sri Lanka Cricket Constitution, the two Vice Presidents handle the responsibilities of overlooking Domestic and International cricket, but the current administration has chosen to ignore the norms and have now sidelined me from the mainstream of cricket administration,” Mathivanan wrote in a media release sent out after his resignation became public. 
“At both Executive Committee and Management Committee meetings, my opinions have not been sought nor heeded. At Executive Committee meetings, I have raised several objections to the decisions taken but they have ignored me and taken their decisions nevertheless and I feel that I would also be held responsible for these unsavory decisions, which would be detrimental to the reputation I have built up as an honest administrator. Notice of meetings and the agenda with board papers have not been circulated to me in time, preventing me from studying the implications of the matters to be discussed,” Mathivanan alleged in the release. 

I have shown my displeasure and refused to endorse the decisions taken without discussion, but the current administration goes ahead with their pre-planned ideas which are detrimental to good order and discipline. I do not wish to be party to such flippant decision making

“I have shown my displeasure and refused to endorse the decisions taken without discussion, but the current administration goes ahead with their pre-planned ideas which are detrimental to good order and discipline. I do not wish to be party to such flippant decision making,” he also wrote. 

The current administration carries out their duties without transparency and integrity in such a manner which makes it impossible for me to remain in such a set up. I am therefore reluctantly compelled to resign from my post as Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket.”

Interestingly, Dharmadasa served in the previous Thilanga Sumathipala-led administration but resigned before the end of his tenure. 

When he launched his bid to become SLC President in 2019, he said that the resignation was as a result of not wanting to be involved in a “corrupt administration”, some of whom are in the current SLC administration.