The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has taken the decision to immediately suspend Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership, signaling a significant development in the cricketing landscape.
During today’s ICC Board meeting, it was concluded that Sri Lanka Cricket has significantly violated its responsibilities as a Member, specifically in terms of the obligation to independently oversee its operations and prevent any government interference in the governance, regulation, and administration of cricket in Sri Lanka. The specifics of the suspension terms will be determined by the ICC Board in the near future.
Following Sri Lanka’s dismal performance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, notably the massive loss to the hosts, India, Sri Lanka cricket has entered a challenging phase. On Monday, November 6th, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe took quick action by firing the national cricket board, Sri Lanka Cricket, and selecting former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga as the interim chairman.
In an unprecedented action, the Sri Lankan parliament, a few days later, unanimously passed a resolution seeking the expulsion of the entire governing board of Sri Lankan cricket. The proposal, proposed by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, won unanimous support in parliament.
It’s worth mentioning that such involvement by a country’s government in its cricket governing body goes against ICC guidelines. Consequently, the ICC has quickly suspended the Sri Lankan Cricket Board (SLC) with immediate effect. The situation highlights the depth of the issues faced by Sri Lankan cricket, necessitating considerable adjustments at both administrative and political levels.
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While the ICC’s ruling might seem unexpected, there are indications that SLC may not have been caught off guard. It is believed that SLC actively sought the ICC board’s intervention in taking this drastic measure. Notably, the ICC continues to acknowledge Shammi Silva, the president of SLC, as the duly elected representative. Currently in India, Silva participated in Friday’s meeting and is expected to be present at the upcoming ICC meetings in Ahmedabad, given that the ICC Board has granted SLC representatives permission to attend in an observer capacity.
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