ICC Chairman Jay Shah meets Sri Lanka president Dissanayake, discusses growth of cricket in Island nation
Mumbai, June 19
ICC Chairman Jay Shah met with President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss cricket development in Sri Lanka, with a focus on grassroots programmes, youth development, and opportunities for emerging players.
Jay Shah shared this news in a social media post on Friday.
"It was a privilege to meet His Excellency President @anuradisanayake today and discuss the current status of cricket in Sri Lanka. Our discussions focused on increasing opportunities for emerging players, supporting grassroots and youth development programmes, and leveraging cricket as a vehicle for social impact and economic growth," Shah wrote on X.
ICC chairman said views were also exchanged on the role Sri Lanka continues to play in hosting major international events and contributing to the global development of our sport.
"Sri Lanka holds a special place in the history of cricket, and I look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to further strengthen the game and create new opportunities for future generations. My sincere thanks to His Excellency for his time and unwavering support for cricket," he added.
Jay Shah took over the chairmanship of ICC in December 2024, leaving his post as the secretary of BCCI. Under him, the ICC has organised several high-profile tournaments such as the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, 2025 ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, 2026 ICC U19 World Cup and ICC Men's T20 World Cup this year.
Team India has also been a dominant force on the field, having all these aforementioned white-ball titles to their name, making it a limited-overs cricket superpower.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Sri Lanka has incredible cricket talent in their villages - I remember watching that documentary about a fisherman's son becoming a national player. If ICC can genuinely support grassroots there, it'll be amazing. But actions speak louder than press releases, let's see real funding and infrastructure development.
Seems like a standard diplomatic meet-and-greet. The real question is whether this translates into more Test matches or better streaming access for Sri Lankan fans. Love the sentiment though - cricket is family across the subcontinent.
भारत और श्रीलंका का क्रिकेट रिश्ता बहुत पुराना है। 1996 वर्ल्ड कप जीतने के बाद से ही दोनों देशों ने एक-दूसरे को सपोर्ट किया है। जय शाह जी का यह कदम सराहनीय है। उम्मीद है कि आने वाले समय में श्रीलंका फिर से क्रिकेट की ताकत बनेगा। 🙏
Sri Lanka deserves more international matches especially after their economic struggles. Cricket is such a unifying force there. Hope this isn't just photo-op diplomacy but leads to concrete support for their domestic structure, umpire training, and women's cricket too.
Honestly, Sri Lanka should focus on their own cricket board first - there's been so much political interference. Jay Shah meeting the president is good optics but what about fixing the administrative mess? Real development needs clean governance. Still, wishing Sri Lanka the best.
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