ICC suspends Sri Lankan cricket board over government interference

Dubai, November 10

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) due to government interference.

The Sri Lanka government had sacked the SLC following the team’s disastrous show at the World Cup, where it lost seven of the nine games.

SLC was reinstated by the court of appeal, thus further deepening the crisis in the country’s cricket governing body.

On Thursday, a joint government and opposition resolution in parliament demanded the resignation of the SLC’s management.

“International Cricket Council Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership of the ICC with immediate effect,” ICC said in a statement.

“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 statement said.

“The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course,” it added.

The government, which is split over the minister’s decision to sack the SLC board of management, came out with a report, recommending a brand new constitution for the governing body with a new voting structure to appoint office bearers.