On Friday, the ICC Board suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership in the International Cricket Council (ICC), effective immediately.
ICC suspends Sri Lankan Cricket’s membership: The organisation said in a statement that after a board meeting, it was decided that Sri Lanka Cricket had seriously violated its membership requirements.
“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,” stated the statement.
The announcement also stated that the ICC Board will determine the suspension’s terms in due course.
On Tuesday, the court reinstated the Sri Lankan cricket board, which the minister of sports had dismissed the day before due to a dismal performance during the ICC World Cup 2023.
Pending a thorough investigation, the nation’s Court of Appeal overturned the minister’s decision and reinstated the dismissed officials.
Board President Shammi Silva filed a plea with the court on Monday, protesting Minister Roshan Ranasinghe’s decision to remove the Sri Lanka Cricket board and replace it with an interim committee.
According to a court representative, “the restoration of the board is for two weeks, when the court will hear the case again.”
Board officials scheduled Silva to return to work after he obtained an order that stopped the interim committee, led by former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga, from carrying out its mandate.
Government Establishes Cabinet Committee to Address Board’s Outstanding Issues
The government has also created a cabinet committee to deal with the “outstanding issues” of the board.
The minister’s actions following India’s 302 run victory against Sri Lanka. In just 19.4 runs, the losing team managed to score only 55 runs.
Due to claims of pervasive corruption, Ranasinghe and Sri Lanka Cricket, the wealthiest sports body on the financially strapped country, have been at odds for months.
After taking control on Monday, the nation’s 1996 World Cup-winning captain Ranatunga had promised to overhaul the national team’s roster and start again.
Ranatunga declared on Monday that “Sri Lanka Cricket had become known as the most corrupt institution in the country.”
“I want to change that image.”
