The staggering sums Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) reportedly splashed out on its former President Shammi Silva have raised eyebrows among stakeholders, with revelations suggesting that the former cricket chief and several members of his Executive Committee enjoyed the high life while Sri Lankan cricket struggled to keep its head above water.
The spotlight has fallen firmly on Shammi Silva, whose expenses during his six year reign make for some eye watering reading.
During that period, SLC reportedly forked out more than Rs. 43 million on his airfares alone. As if that were not enough, Shammi Silva also claimed USD 145,000 in per diems, equivalent to more than Rs. 45 million. That takes the combined bill for air travel and daily allowances beyond Rs. 88 million.
And that is before accommodation and other expenses enter the equation. Clearly, travelling on cricket business was no exercise in austerity.
Under his watch, Sri Lankan cricket went into a tailspin. Humiliating defeats became increasingly familiar, the national team was reduced to playing qualifying tournaments to secure places at major ICC events and Sri Lanka even failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
But while the team’s fortunes were heading south, there was apparently no shortage of funds to keep the President travelling in style.
Sri Lankan cricket may have been struggling to make ends meet on the field, but its President seemingly had no such worries off it. The results were forgettable, the expenses unforgettable.
While the team struggled to deliver the goods, the man at the helm appeared to be living in the fast lane, spending like a drunken sailor on shore leave.
The cricket may have been economy class, but the President certainly wasn’t.