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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the immediate lifting of the ban on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).
The suspension of Sri Lanka’s membership took place during the ICC World Cup 2023 in November, citing continuous government interference in board affairs as the reason.
In a press release, the ICC stated, “The ban on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been lifted today with immediate effect.”
The suspension had been imposed on November 10, 2023, due to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) violating its responsibilities as an ICC member, particularly regarding “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.”
Although the ban has been lifted, Sri Lanka has forfeited the hosting rights of the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, which is currently underway in South Africa.
The ICC Board convened on November 21 and decided that Sri Lanka can resume international competition in both bilateral cricket and ICC events. However, the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, originally slated to be held in Sri Lanka, was relocated to South Africa.
The press release concluded by stating, “The ICC Board has been monitoring the situation since the suspension and is now satisfied that SLC is no longer in breach of membership obligations.”
It is worth noting that in November, the ICC had declared that Sri Lanka Cricket was “in serious breach” of its membership obligations, emphasizing the need to manage its affairs independently and prevent government interference.
The ICC imposed the ban on Sri Lanka cricket just a day after the country’s parliament called for the board’s resignation following allegations by sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe that it had misappropriated millions of dollars.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
