Tennekoon to step down as CEO of Sri Lankan board

Anura Tennekoon, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief executive, has announced that he will be standing down after England's tour of Sri Lanka. Tennekoon cited personal reasons for his decision to step down.

Tennekoon, a former Sri Lanka captain and opening batsman, announced his decision on Friday. "Due to personal reasons I am relinquishing my duties as chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket," he said in a media statement. "I would like to take this opportunity to wish Sri Lanka Cricket the very best in the future."

Tennekoon was appointed in Dec 2000 after the controversial sacking of Dhammika Ranatunga, the brother of World Cup winning captain Arjuna. Although widely respected for his honesty and integrity, he had faced growing criticism for not being forthright enough in various commercial and contractual negotiations.

"Anura is a man of great honesty and integrity and we needed someone like that at that controversial juncture," said Mohan de Silva, the SLC secretary. "He always had the game at heart and he made a big contribution to the development of the game in Sri Lanka."

According to de Silva, the search for Tennekoon's successor will begin immediately. The SLC will headhunt a top business leader with a cricketing background.