De Silva to head new SLC interim board

Former Sri Lanka legspinner Somachandra De Silva was appointed chairman of the new seven-member interim committee to run Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) by sports minister Gamini Lokuge on Thursday. De Silva, 66, who held the post of schools cricket development officer at SLC was also the cricket advisor to the country's president, Mahindra Rajapakse.

De Silva, who played 12 Tests and 41 ODIs and coached the junior national team, succeeds former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga at the position, after Ranatunga was sacked by Lokuge in December last year. The interim committee was also dissolved, marking the end of a controversial 11-month tenure for Ranatunga in the hot seat.

Ranatunga was replaced by Lokuge's private secretary, S Liyanagama, who was appointed as the competent authority to administer Sri Lanka Cricket until a suitable person was found.

However, Nishantha Ranatunga, Arjuna's brother, has been appointed as the secretary of the committee. Former fast bowler and present chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricketer's Association Pramodya Wickramasinghe, cricketer-turned-commentator Ranil Abeynayake, along with Lalith Wickremasinghe and A Gunaratne Weerasinghe will be the panel members.

Treasurer Sujeewa Rajapakse is the only person to retain his post from the committee which was previously dissolved.