- Sri Lanka’s ministry of sport dismissed the cricket authority’s board
- It followed a poor World Cup which saw them win just two of their nine matches
- Government interference in any nation’s cricket board contravenes ICC rules
The International Cricket Council has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect following government interference.
Sri Lanka’s ministry of sport dismissed the board of the country’s cricket authority and replaced it with an interim committee following their poor performance at the 50-over World Cup in India.
They won just two of their nine World Cup matches and sit second bottom in the standings. New Zealand beat them by five wickets in their final group game on Thursday.
‘The ICC Board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member,’ it said in a statement.
‘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.
Sri Lanka has been suspended by the International Cricket Council over government interference following their poor 50-over World Cup campaign in India
Sri Lanka won two and lost seven of their nine matches at the tournament in India
‘The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course.’
The ICC Board is set to meet on November 21, after which the future course of action is expected to be clearer.
Sri Lanka are due to host the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, starting in January next year.
They are also scheduled to tour England next summer for three Test matches in August and September.
It is understood the ICC board was concerned by the Sri Lankan government’s interference in all areas with SLC, including finance and governance.
On Monday, Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the SLC board and installed an interim committee.
But Sri Lanka’s courts effectively reversed that decision the following day by issuing a 14-day staying order.
Sri Lanka is the second full member of the ICC to be suspended in the last four years after Zimbabwe suffered a similar fate in 2019.
In their case, all cricket activities in the country were shut down and funding was frozen following government interference.
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