Eran Wickremaratne Rejects Allegations Linking Religion to Sri Lanka Cricket Administration

Eran Wickremaratne, the head of the Sri Lanka Cricket Transformation Committee, has strongly rejected allegations suggesting that his religious beliefs could influence cricket administration in the country.

Speaking at a media briefing held at the offices of Sri Lanka Cricket, Wickremaratne stated that although many know him as a Christian pastor, his faith has never stood in the way of fairness, equality, or professionalism in public service.

Responding to a question raised by a journalist regarding religion and cricket administration, he said that the responsibilities entrusted to him in Sri Lanka Cricket would be carried out without allowing religion, ethnicity, class, or any other division to interfere with decision-making.

“I studied at a good school, though I do not wish to mention its name. There were 35 students in my class, and I was the only non-Buddhist student. Yet, I became the student leader of the school, and there were no issues,” he said.

“I established a bank — there was no issue. I served as the head of the National Development Bank — no issue. I worked as the State Minister of Enterprise — no issue. I also served as Deputy Finance Minister — again, no issue,” he added.

Wickremaratne, a former student of Royal College Colombo, also recalled his background in cricket, noting that he opened the batting for the school’s cricket team during the mid-1970s.

He further explained that he generally avoids speaking publicly about his religious identity, but chose to address the matter openly because the question had been raised directly.

“I usually do not like discussing these matters publicly, but since the question was asked, I decided to answer openly. Thank you for asking,” he said.

Wickremaratne emphasized that Sri Lanka Cricket under his involvement would not tolerate religious hostility or discrimination of any kind. He stressed that players would be selected purely on merit and performance rather than religion, race, caste, or social background.

He concluded by saying that the focus of the transformation process would be to strengthen unity, professionalism, transparency, and fair play within Sri Lankan cricket.