Breaking News: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) suspended by ICC
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) with immediate effect. The suspension is supposed to be enforced due to the excessive interference of government in the cricket administration. Hence, the decision has been taken by the ICC, suspending the board.
There has been a lot of chaos within Sri Lanka Cricket in the last couple of weeks. Initially, the Sri Lankan government suspended the cricket board in a decision primarily led by the sports minister, Roshan Ranasinghe. The decision was taken following Sri Lanka’s embarrassing defeat against India by 302 runs in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
The key reason for the suspension was corruption within the board. However, Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeals later restored the board days after the suspension, giving relief to the board. All the dismissed officers were also reinstated.
Now, the ICC has banned SLC due to a serious breach of its obligations as a Member. The ICC Board will now meet on 21 November to decide the further actions. It is a massive blow for the Sri Lanka Board, which is supposed to host the ICC Men’s U-19 Cricket World Cup early next year.
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“The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership of the ICC with immediate effect,” stated a statement released by ICC.
"The ICC Board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka. The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course.”
Sri Lanka Cricket suspension a warning by the ICC
While Sri Lanka Cricket is suspended, it is more of a warning by the ICC. The warning is issued as the ICC wants them to operate independently without extensive interference from the government. According to ESPNcricninfo, the SLC asked for this step to the ICC Board.
It makes Sri Lanka Cricket the second full member to endure an ICC suspension. Previously, Zimbabwe Cricket was also suspended due to government interference. Their suspension was done in 2019.
Fortunately, Sri Lanka have no game left in the World Cup 2023. According to ESPNcricinfo, the ICC doesn’t have any due funds to transfer to the Sri Lanka Board until January.
Sri Lanka are among the worst performers in the World Cup 2023. They could only win two of their nine games in the tournament and sit ninth in the points table. Sri Lanka are also on the brink of missing out on qualification for the Champions Trophy 2025.
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