Nov 10 : The ICC issued a statement announcing the suspension of Sri Lanka cricket’s membership with immediate effect on November 10. The decision comes a day after Sri Lanka’s World Cup 2023 campaign came to an end with a thrashing at the hands of New Zealand. In the nine games they played in the 2023 World Cup, the 1996 World Cup champions won only two. However, the problems confronting Sri Lankan cricket go beyond poor performance on the pitch. The Sri Lankan government fired the cricket board after it was accused of widespread corruption. Following a humiliating 302-run defeat against India in the World Cup 2023, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe fired the entire cricket board.Arjuna Ranatunga, the World Cup-winning captain in 1996, has been named chairman of the interim board, which includes three judges. This would be followed by a resolution passed unanimously by the Sri Lankan parliament on November 9 calling for the sacking of the country’s cricket governing body, with both the ruling and opposition parties supporting it. The ICC has now announced that it has suspended Sri Lanka’s membership with immediate effect for breaching its obligations as a member. The ICC will determine the terms of the suspension in due course, but it is possible that Sri Lanka will miss the major ICC events, beginning with the 2024 World Cup.“The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership of the ICC with immediate effect.” “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,” the International Criminal Court (ICC) said.
