The Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) ground in the posh neighbourhood of Colombo 7 that adjoins the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket that has become the most coveted address in the island’s sports set-up
After several months of uncertainty, unless the unforeseen happens, almost the entire hierarchy of Sri Lanka Cricket’s administration is on course to retain their privileged positions.
In it will be the three main heavyweights, Shammi Silva as president, Mohan de Silva as secretary and Ravin Wickremaratne as the vice president who have all staved off opposition from the rival Nishantha Ranatunga clan who are expected to pull out from the race unable to muster the required number of votes on May 20.
“We want a contest, we want to be challenged at an election. We have been strong right from the start and the majority of voting clubs are with us because we have shown results,” said Mohan de Silva.
But the Shammi Silva group will have one more hurdle to come to grips with in the form of a legal challenge likely to be defined in June following an elite 12-member Petition group that filed a court case for an overhaul of the election process which is claimed as a farce that can only be corrected through a new Constitution.
Mohan de Silva, who counts more than 20 years as a frontline administrator, said he saw nothing irregular in the election process that has been a democratic feature in installing decision makers at Sri Lanka Cricket.
“Of course there must be a system in voting by clubs depending on where they stand at the highest level on the field and we like to contribute our thinking as well on this matter. As of now all clubs have a right to vote,” said De Silva.
Questions are now likely to be raised on why the Nishantha Ranatunga group made such a fuss and media show over their race to enter the sport’s affairs by ousting their rivals they had continuously branded as corrupt by nature.
Group spokesman and presidential candidate K Mathivanan dismissed the claim that they are lagging behind in their voter base saying they would take a final call next week on whether to contest or not.
“We will issue a Press statement on Tuesday on our position with regard to the election and that is all I can say for the moment,” said Mathivanan.
But a close aide of the Ranatunga group who did not wish to be named said they have already pulled out from the race convinced that justice took a back seat in the run-up alleging that the Sports Ministry had worked behind-the-scene to ensure their rivals had everything in their favour to continue for another two-year term.
The administration of Sri Lanka cricket over the next two years will go through one of the most crucial make or break phases with two upcoming T20 World Cups and one 50-over World Cup that the team has not being able to win since climbing the victory podium in 1996.