Sri Lanka Cricket suspended by ICC owing to extensive government interference

On Thursday, Sri Lanka's Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa had moved a resolution in Parliament titled 'the removal of the corrupt SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket) management' which was seconded by the ruling party and eventually passed unanimously. Previously, Sri Lanka's Sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe had already sacked the elected members after the country's elimination from the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 was confirmed, and appointed former skipper Arjun Ranatunga in charge of a seven-member interim committee.

"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," read the ICC statement.

The suspension renders SLC ineligible to obtain any ICC funding until further notice as well as ineligible to participate in any events organized by the global body which could prove to be critical given the ICC World T20 in the USA and Caribbean in six months' time. 

The upheavals in Sri Lanka Cricket follow a disastrous campaign by the men's cricket team in the marquee event in India where the team ended their six-week participation with another huge loss to New Zealand in Bangalore on Thursday. The side managed just two victories, against England and the Netherlands respectively, across nine fixtures and are bound to finish ninth bar a thumping for Bangladesh at the hands of Australia on Saturday. This would eliminate them from contention for the Champions Trophy 2025, the next ODI marquee event scheduled in ICC's calendar slated to be held in Pakistan.