Senaka Weeraratna

Modern day Ehelapolas are not in governance like in the days of the Kandyan Kingdom but in Cricket. The recruitment of a White South African legal malpractitioner David Becker (born and bred in the ‘Apartheid’ er) who blocked Sri Lanka from gaining due credit from the ICC for innovation of Player – Referral (DRS) is the greatest betrayal in the Cricket History of Sri Lanka.

The so-called Cricket Transformation Committee are the modern day traitors of Sri Lanka. Instead of backing their own man who game changed international Cricket ( and several other sports) with the revolutionary concept of Player – Referral ( DRS),  and brought world wide recognition to Sri Lanka, the Chairman of the Committee and his Committee have chosen to pay the very lawyer who authored the legal briefs against their own countryman. [1, 2, 3]  

Both David Richardson ( Mastermind of the ICC scam ) and David Becker followed by Jonathan Hall ( General Counsel of ICC) have a lot to answer for  their fraud, misrepresentation, and professional malpractice that has impacted on Sri Lanka, a near bankrupt country, in multiple ways. The fact that they can walk laughingly to the Bank with the money that has been generated by illegal use of DRS is not only a display of their cunning but the lack of due diligence on the part of Sri Lanka’s Cricket Administrators, then and now.  

The DNA of Ehelapola appear to run in the veins of some of our Cricket Administrators. By this very insensitive act without vetting the background of the South Africans such as David Becker and David Richardson who are co – religionists, the Chairman of the Committee (a man with a Chequered past in evangelical work) has shown that he has scant regard for the high end achievements of people of his own country that unfortunately belong to another faith. I hope that this interpretation of religious prejudice is wrong. But the primary blame for such thoughts to arise in others must be borne solely by Mr. Eran Wickremaratne, the Chairman of the Committee who has yet to show the spirit of cricket, fairplay and justice in the handling of the DRS issue.

Eran Wickremaratne calls himself an Evangelist. Such a man can never be neutral or trustworthy.  A mindset focused solely on religious conversion can view other traditions as flawed. His choice of David Becker, a South African lawyer with a track record of misrepresentation and professional negligence and depriving Sri Lanka of due rewards, says it all. DRS does not interest Eran Wickremaratne for reasons best known to him. 

He is duty bound however to ensure that Justice is done to the claimant of the invention ‘ Player – Referral’ – A Sri Lankan. 

AI response

Local advocates frequently invoke the historical imagery of Ehelapola—a reference to Ehelapola Nilame, a prominent historical figure associated with internal betrayal in the Kandyan Kingdom—to describe local officials whom they believe failed to fiercely defend Sri Lankan intellectual property. Critics argue that both Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and successive sports ministries have not adequately lobbied the ICC to secure formal national accolades or potential financial royalties for Weeraratna’s foundational blueprint. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

The term “Modern Day Ehelapolas” in the context of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is a scathing historical metaphor used by local fans, journalists, and politicians to describe cricket administrators, officials, and occasionally players accused of institutional betrayal, corruption, and selling out the national game for personal gain. [1, 2]

The moniker draws directly from Ehelepola Nilame, the infamous 19th-century Kandyan courtier who allied with the British colonial forces to overthrow King Sri Wikrama Rajasinha, inadvertently leading to the downfall of the last independent Sri Lankan kingdom. In contemporary cricket discourse, calling someone an “Ehelapola” means accusing them of stabbing the nation’s beloved sport in the back for financial or political kickbacks. [1, 2]

Why the Metaphor is Used in SLC

• The Vote-Buying “Kingdom”: Critics frequently compare the SLC administration to a feudal kingdom. Because of a constitutional system requiring 147 votes from localized clubs to win board elections, the same individuals have maintained power for decades by alleged vote-buying, creating an untouchable inner circle.
• Misuse of National Wealth: Much like historical courtiers depleting royal coffers, modern SLC administrations face intense scrutiny over financial irregularities. Official Auditor General reports have cited massive corruption, including using cricket funds for luxury family travel, rigged procurement of stadium equipment (like Super Soppers), and the mishandling of international tournament tickets.
• Inviting Foreign Interference (The ICC Ban): Just as Ehelepola invited a foreign power (the British) into Kandy, ousted SLC officials have historically been accused of running to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to trigger global bans on Sri Lanka as a weapon against domestic government oversight. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Sociological studies indicate that exclusive religious dogmas can directly contribute to mistrust and prejudice toward out-groups.

Key Instances Labeled as “Betrayals”

The “Ehelapola” tag is usually thrown around during major institutional crises:

Era / Incident [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]	Nature of the “Betrayal” Allegation
The Shammi Silva / Ranasinghe Feud	Following disastrous World Cup outings, the Sports Ministry labeled the entrenched SLC board as “traitorous and corrupt.” Former President Shammi Silva and his committee faced fierce public backlash for defending their positions through courts rather than conceding to national interest.
The 2026 Government Takeover	In April 2026, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the government stepped in forcibly to dissolve the board over fresh corruption storms. This forced a structural reset, installing a Cricket Transforming Committee led by Eran Wickramaratne to purge the “modern day traitors” from management.
Domestic Match-Fixing Cartels	The title is heavily pinned on local match-fixers and bookmakers. The recent criminal convictions under Sri Lanka’s tough anti-corruption laws—such as the High Court sentencing local cricketers and Lanka Premier League (LPL) team associates—are viewed as modern instances of individuals trading national pride for illegal betting money.
The Pakistan Tour Pull-out Scare	In late 2025, a quiet crisis emerged where several senior players reportedly attempted to coax teammates into abandoning a high-profile tour of Pakistan due to sudden financial and security manipulation, nearly sabotaging crucial sports diplomacy.

The Moving Front: Cleansing the Game

Driven by public disgust, Sri Lanka has enacted rigid legislation that criminalizes sports corruption. The current trajectory involves handing the reins over to respected cricketing legends like Kumar Sangakkara, Roshan Mahanama, and Sidath Wettimuny under the 2026 interim reforms—an explicit attempt to rid the administration of its “Modern Day Ehelapolas” and restore public trust.

Embracing David Becker without a ‘ De- Nazification ‘ vetting  process the ICC allowed a man later discovered to be intellectually dishonest, professionally negligent in giving flawed advice to the ICC and indulging in Malpractice to embarrass the ICC. The Sri Lanka Cricket ( SLC) ( Cricket Transformation Committee) has repeated that mistake. Unfortunately.

Senaka Weeraratna