Thilanga returns as SLC President, promises constitutional change

• Humiliating defeat for Nishantha Ranatunga and his mentor Arjuna

By Madushka Balasuriya

Thilanga Sumathipala has assured that changes will be made to the Sri Lanka Cricket constitution, after he and his camp completed a clean sweep of the SLC board elections yesterday. 

Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sumathipala was voted in as SLC President with 88 votes, 32 more than his opponent Nishantha Ranatunga (56 votes). The bad news continued for the Ranatunga family as Arjuna Ranatunga (80 votes) also failed in his bid for Vice President. That honour was reserved for K. Mathivanan (90 votes) and Jayantha Dharmadasa (102 votes), both of whom were elected to the post. A fourth candidate Asanga Seneviratne garnered 18 votes.

The post of SLC Secretary went to Mohan De Silva after he ran uncontested, while Ravin Wickramaratne (113 votes) was voted in as Assistant Secretary ahead of Nilantha Rathnayake (30 votes). Shammi Silva was voted in as Treasurer with 115 votes, comprehensively beating Eastman Narangoda (28 votes), and Lalith Rambukwella (108 votes) was voted in as As sistant Secretary ahead of Nihal Lewke (36 votes).

Speaking to the media afterwards, Sumathipala, flanked by his team, promised a renewed focus on cricketing affairs, with changes to the constitution topping the list of priorities. 

The move follows calls by Sidath Wettimuny to change a constitution, which he says, has created a highly politicised atmosphere. He believes the current system, which sees over 140 members take part in the voting, is bloated and leads to a “crazy” culture where you “have to make sure you look after the people you brought in, and the guys who are going to vote you in next.”

Wettimuny, who headed a nine-man interim committee put in charge of SLC for the last seven months, had grown increasingly vocal in the build up to the election regarding his hopes that the newly elected SLC board build on the foundations laid by his committee, and not make the same mistakes as administrations past. The committee’s seven-month period in charge saw, among several positives, a significant financial turnaround for the perennially cash-strapped SLC; the introduction of a soft-skills program for cricketers; and the implementation of a revamped domestic structure, the Elite Championship.

Pix by Kushan Pathiraja

​SLC to begin search for permanent coach

Newly appointed Sri Lanka Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala has said that one of the first orders of business for the new board will be to interview and hire a new head coach for the national side.

Jerome Jayaratne has been in charge as interim head coach since September of last year, following the resignation of Marvan Atapattu. Jayaratne who oversaw the home series win against the West Indies, is currently with the national side in New Zealand, where Sri Lanka having lost the Test series, trail in the ODI series 2-1 with one game left to play.

Jayaratne has in his short tenure built a good rapport with the players, with Captain Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal recently calling for his role in the team to be made permanent. Sidath Wettimuny, who headed the interim committee which was in charge of SLC for the last seven months, has said previously that Jayaratne had agreed continue as coach until the end of the World T20 in March.