In a massive development from the Apex Council, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been suspended with immediate effect due to government interference. Apparently, in the last few days, the board has been under fire after being suspended. After the team’s dismal performance in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023, the entire board was sacked. After this, the sports ministry tried to bring former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga to head the board.
However, the Supreme Court of India put a stay order on Ranatunga-led interim committee to take over. Under the sports law, the government has the power to suspend the board members of all sports. During the years 2014 and 2015, the Apex Council refused to disburse the payments of the board following the suspension of the board members at the time.
Will Sri Lanka Cricket miss out T20 World Cup 2024?
Notably, the former ODI and T20 World Cup winners have had a bad tournament in the ongoing ODI World Cup 2023. They have won only two games out of nine and are lagging in ninth position. They are set to miss out on the Champions Trophy 2025 with Bangladesh needing to lose by a big margin against Australia. Meanwhile, with the suspension of the Cricket Board, the team might miss out on the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and USA.
It will be interesting to see if the board can get back their membership before the tournament with only nine months left.
“The Apex Council members 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 Council said in a statement. “The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the Council in due course.”
