Mathivanan, Ranatunga and Warnapura withdraw

By Shehan Daniel  

The three-member group of former administrators K. Mathivanan and NishanthaRanatunga, and former Test captain BandulaWarnapura have withdrawn their names from the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) elections, effectively ensuring the unopposed return of the Shammi Silva-led administration.

The election is scheduled to be conducted via Zoom when the SLC  stakeholders meet virtually for the  Annual General Meeting tomorrow, but this withdrawal now opens the door for the Shammi Silva-led group to return unchallenged for a second term.

In a letter sent to the Sri Lanka Cricket Election Committee yesterday, the group that had nominated Mathivanan for President, Ranatunga for Secretary and Warnapura as a Vice President, reiterated the lack of transparency of the previous administration, and claimed that their attempts to highlight this in the past had been “brushed aside”.

“Sri Lanka Cricket now languishes at the bottom of the ICC rankings in all three formats of the game, not least due to the maladministration and chicanery of its incumbent office bearers. The SLC Finances and Administration are in disarray, with dishonest officials even being unable to prevent its TV revenue funds being diverted to foreign bank accounts. Ultimately, the Players have had to forego large portions of their contractual income due to these shortcomings in the administration. Several attempts on our part to highlight these shortcomings have been summarily brushed aside by the various committee appointed supposedly on trust to discharge their duties impartially but that impartiality and trust being sadly misplaced. A very serious lapse by way of delayed submission of annual accounts and not having obtained the Auditor General’s approval as required by the Constitution, has been disregarded by the authorities, a major cause of concern in the upholding of trust and impartiality,” the letter read.

“Their misdeeds have been highlighted even by the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) which has castigated its performance as being unworthy of a proper administration.”

The group also alleged that the current voting system at SLC denies a level playing field to all contestants. 

“It has been spoken of and admitted that the bane of Sri Lanka Cricket politics has been its overwhelming overload of stakeholder votes, resulting in vote buying and other acts of omission which does not cater to a level playing field for anyone coming forward with a will to change the system. This system, which many in authority have vowed to change is in fact further encouraged by not taking effective measured (sic) to curb it,” the letter also said.

Ambiguity over a gazette notification issued by the Sports Minister, which appeared to be backdated and ensured the Shammi Silva-led administration were not legally disqualified from contesting the elections, remains unclarified, however. 

Previously Ranatunga in a letter to the Sports Minister challenged the continuation of the Silva-led administration beyond February 20 this year, claiming that, according to the SLC constitution, their two-year term had lapsed on that day. 

This letter was forwarded to the Attorney General’s Department, who on March 28, recommended that an interim management committee be appointed, validating the challenge made by Ranatunga. 

Days later, the Minister issued a gazette appointing a five-member committee led by Prof.Arjuna de Silva to manage SLC till the elections are conducted, but also cited a previous gazette issued on February 17 which had extended the term of the Silva administration till April. 

This led to claims that a backdated gazette had been issued by the Minister, as he would not have needed the AG’s determination if indeed the Silva administration had previously been given an extension. 

The eligibility of the Silva administration to contest the elections could have been challenged in courts, as they had not submitted accounts when their term ended on February 20.