Ranatunga's decision came three days after Sri Lanka's tour of India where they lost a three-Test series 2-0. They had also crashed to a 6-1 defeat to India in a preceding seven-match one-day series.

Ranatunga was heading a committee, which involves all past captains.

"As a person who loves cricket in Sri Lanka I worked hard to execute my responsibility as the chairman of the committee. It is regretful that the expected outcome was not there.

"Under these circumstances I am left with no alternative but to resign," Ranatunga wrote in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

"There were a few things that I wasn't at all happy with during my association with SLC and I just waited till the team returned from India to hand over my resignation," Ranatunga told AFP.