The suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been lifted with immediate effect, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on January 28 in a big move. The decision has come as a huge relief for the Sri Lanka Cricket in the backdrop of upcoming T20 World Cup 2024.
SLC faced suspension in November due to a serious violation of its obligation as an ICC member. This included failing to manage its affairs independently and ensuring that there was no governmental interference in the governance, regulation, and administration of cricket in Sri Lanka.
The ICC Board has been closely observing the situation since the suspension. They are now convinced that SLC is compliant with membership requirements, as confirmed by the ICC.
“The ICC Board met on 21 November and it was decided that Sri Lanka can continue to compete internationally both in bilateral cricket and ICC events, but the ongoing U19 Men's Cricket World Cup was moved to South Africa, having initially been set to be played in Sri Lanka,” ICC said in a release on January 28.
Sports Minister Harin Fernando took to Twitter to announce the lifting of the suspension, indicating that an official statement would be issued shortly.
He indicated that a formal announcement would be made shortly.
In November of the previous year, the ICC suspended Sri Lanka, pointing to political interference as the reason. This occurred when Fernando's predecessor, Roshan Ranasinghe, dismissed the existing administration led by Shammi Silva and established an interim committee under the leadership of former captain Arjuna Ranatunga.
Subsequently, the court restored Silva to his position, and Ranasinghe was removed from his role by President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Following the suspension, the men's Under-19 World Cup, currently underway, was relocated from Sri Lanka to South Africa. However, this move had no immediate impact on the regular functioning of cricket in Sri Lanka. The ICC Board decided that all levels of cricket, including bilateral and domestic series and tournaments, would continue uninterrupted during the suspension. The ICC's annual funding to Sri Lanka, though, would be withheld until the suspension was lifted.
In the meantime, Sri Lanka hosted a white-ball series against Zimbabwe in early 2024. Earlier, in November, Sri Lanka's Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe had dismissed the SLC board and appointed an interim committee led by Arjuna Ranatunga. However, the courts quickly reinstated the board by issuing a 14-day stay order on the gazette that had dissolved it. At the time of the ICC's suspension, it was the elected SLC Board that was overseeing cricket in the country. This incident made SLC the second Full Member to face suspension by the ICC in recent times, following a similar action against Zimbabwe Cricket in 2019.
Geoff Allardice, the CEO of the ICC, visited Colombo earlier this month, holding meetings with both Wickremesinghe and Fernando.
The government has announced its intention to introduce a new sports act designed to prevent political meddling in sports administration.
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