The story so far: On November 10, the International Cricket Council (ICC), cricket’s world governing body, suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) over government interference. In a statement, the ICC said that SLC was 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.”
What was the ‘government interference’?
In the immediate aftermath of Sri Lanka’s disastrous ninth-place finish in the 2023 World Cup in India, as a result of which it missed out on qualifying for the 2025 Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the SLC board and chose former captain Arjuna Ranatunga to head an interim committee. However, on November 7, Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal issued a two-week stay order and reinstated the SLC regime helmed by president Shammi Silva. Two days after the breather from the court, the Sri Lankan parliament unanimously passed a resolution seeking the cricket board’s removal, perhaps the final straw in ICC’s eyes.
