Pillars of SLC: Fresh restart or old wine in new bottle?
The amendments revolve around two major proposals – the establishment of an Advisory Council to replace the Management Committee, and the creation of a new governance framework known as the “Pillars of Sri Lanka Cricket.” Together, these reforms promise streamlined administration, stronger accountability, and better alignment between cricketing and corporate governance.
The proposed special consitutional resolution guarantees that desicion making continues to be influenced by a closed circle of veterans, including incumbent SLC President Shammi Silva (R)
However, critics will be quick to question whether this is genuine reform or merely a reshuffling of titles that entrenches the same players in new roles. The most significant alteration comes with the rebranding of the old Management Committee as the Advisory Council. At first glance, this might appear cosmetic, but the functional shift is notable.
Under the new structure, which will come in to effect after the Special General Meeting scheduled for Septmber 10, 2025, the Advisory Council will act as an oversight and consultative arm of SLC, tasked with giving guidance, recommendations, and advisory opinions to the Executive Committee. It has the power to review and evaluate sub-committee decisions, particularly in urgent matters. However, crucially, it cannot override the Executive Committee’s authority.
Membership criteria are strict, almost elitist. To be eligible, the chairman must be a past or present SLC President with at least six years in the role and 10 years’ service in a member club. This means only the incumbent President, Shammi Silva, can hold the position, having already served more than six years. He is currently in his fourth consecutive term as president, the last he is eligible to contest under the recently introduced Sports Regulations, which impose an eight-year term limit on the presidency. However, the new amendments to SLC’s constitution will still allow him to play a prominent role.
The other four members must also be long-serving office-bearers or executive committee members with over a decade’s service at club level.
In other words, this is not a platform for fresh perspectives or independent expertise. It is an old guard council, designed to keep cricket’s most experienced administrators in the loop long after their executive terms have ended. Critics will see it as recycling power within a closed circle.
Perhaps the more ambitious reform is the introduction of the pillars framework. This model seeks to break SLC’s operations into seven specialised divisions:
National Development Pillar – led by the immediate Past President, focusing on grassroots and infrastructure.
National High-Performance Pillar – headed by the current President, overseeing elite player development.
International Cricket Pillar – under the Vice President (international cricket), managing tours, ICC relations, and hosting.
Domestic Cricket Pillar – under the Vice President (domestic cricket), responsible for tournaments, officiating, and domestic structures.
Administration Pillar – led by the Honorary Secretary, ensuring governance and compliance.
Finance Pillar – under the Honorary Treasurer, controlling funds, audits, and financial integrity.
Corporate Communications and Affairs Pillar – led by either the Assistant Secretary or Assistant Treasurer, managing image, media, and sponsorship.
Each pillar head is empowered to make day-to-day decisions within their domain, though always subject to the overarching authority of the Executive Committee. Special committees, such as the Tournament Committee, Audit Committee, or Umpires Committee are now functionally aligned to their respective pillars, creating a more logical reporting chain.
The question that looms over these reforms is whether they represent true decentralisation of governance or simply a more sophisticated consolidation of power.
On one hand, the pillar system could indeed enhance efficiency. For example, placing grassroots cricket development under the immediate Past President ensures continuity of policy beyond the term of office. Similarly, giving the Treasurer full control of the Finance Pillar, with dedicated oversight committees, could strengthen financial discipline in an organisation often criticised for opaque accounting.
However, these reforms ensure that control remains firmly within the hands of the elected office-bearers and their trusted allies. The Advisory Council excludes outsiders, and the pillars give more power to incumbents rather than spreading responsibility to independent experts.
By stipulating that former Presidents and long-serving officials must form the Advisory Council, SLC effectively guarantees that decision-making continues to be influenced by a closed circle of veterans. This is unlikely to appease critics who argue that cricket administration desperately needs fresh, professional voices from outside the club-dominated system. Governance has long been the Achilles’ heel of Sri Lankan cricket, with allegations of corruption, mismanagement, and politicisation tarnishing the board’s image.
By introducing these reforms, SLC can claim to be addressing governance concerns in a structured, modern framework. The language of ‘Pillars’, ‘accountability’, and ‘oversight’ resonates well with both local critics and international stakeholders. But whether this amounts to real reform or simply rebranding of existing power structures will be revealed in practice.