Sri Lanka (Commonwealth) _ with immediate effect, the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed the ban on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) yesterday (Jan 28).
On November 10, 2023, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) was suspended for failing to fulfill its obligations as an ICC member, specifically the duty to conduct its business independently and guarantee that the government does not meddle in the regulation, governance, or management of cricket in Sri Lanka.
At its meeting on November 21, the ICC Board ruled that Sri Lanka may carry on competing internationally in both bilateral and ICC cricket competitions. However, the present U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, which was originally scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka, was shifted to South Africa. After keeping an eye on the matter since the suspension, the ICC Board is now certain that SLC is no longer in violation of its membership commitments.
The Sri Lankan cricket board was previously suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as a result of the government’s inferences. This development occurs just a few days after the nation’s sports minister fired every member of the cricket board due to corruption suspicions. Later, the Court of Appeals in Sri Lanka reversed the ruling and restored all the officers awaiting a thorough investigation.
This is in response to Sri Lanka’s cricket team’s poor performance at the ICC World Cup 2023. Only two of the team’s nine league games were in victories, and it presently sits in ninth position in the World Cup points standings. When Sri Lanka concluded with a double-digit score in the Asia Cup and ICC World Cup final match, people saw them as especially terrible versus India.
Roshan Ranasinghe, the previous minister of sports for Sri Lanka, decided to fire the cricket board, claiming pervasive corruption inside the organization. According to the minister, the cricket officials did not have the necessary moral and ethical standing to continue in their roles. Additionally, the minister established a temporary cricket board, chaired by 1996 World Cup captain Arjuna Ranatunga. According to Arjuna Ranatunga, “Sri Lanka Cricket became considered to be the most unscrupulous institution in the country.” “I wish to alter that perception,” he continued.
Later, the Court of Appeals in Sri Lanka reversed the ruling, restoring the nation’s cricket board. According to a court spokesman, the board restoration will last for two weeks, during which the court will rehearse the case.
The national cricket team’s devastating defeat to India at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and eventual elimination from the competition have left the former minister of sports at odds with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and its president, Shammi Silva. The former minister called Silva’s and other Sri Lanka Cricket board members’ bids for the ICC ban a “huge betrayal of the nation” and accused them of doing so.
In addition, SLC filed a defamation case against Ranasinghe for allegedly making “damaging defamatory statements” against it, exacerbating the nation’s administrative dilemma. The early elimination of the national squad from the World Cup caused upheaval in Sri Lankan cricket. In nine games, the Sri Lankans could only muster two victories.
Roshan Ranasinghe was consequently relieved of his positions as Minister of Irrigation and Minister of Sports & Youth Affairs by Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Ranasinghe left the Ministry later that day because of problems relating to cricket.
During the cabinet meeting in Parliament, President Ranil Wickremesinghe gave Roshan Ranasinghe the dismissal letter in compliance with the authority granted to the President by article 47 (3) (a) of the Constitution. Roshan Ranasinghe came the Sports Ministry after being ousted from his position as a minister and left the building.
Following the submission of a damning report by the island government’s Auditor General detailing instances of bad governance, corruption, and financial mismanagement by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) executives, the cricket organization finds itself in the center of a maelstrom. Numerous cases of excessive usage and payment of SLC funding have been reported in the extensive investigation, which focuses on the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia.
Although President Shammi Silva’s SLC committee may legally continue to exist for the time being, the report on governance contains harsh information. It says that an application for visas to be obtained by 56 individuals—11 members of the Executive Committee, 9 members deemed associated with SLC, and 36 others—to visit Australia to observe the competition was submitted to the Australian High Commission. Additionally, it mentions that as of the report submission date, one of the individuals who was granted a visa to watch the World Cup had already departed the nation.
Shammi Silva, president of SLC, hasn’t acknowledged the alleged wrongdoing in an official manner as of yet. While money is being sent to their accounts, many citizens of the nation speculate that certain officials at the ICC are directly connected to the Shammi and shield him from harm. Mohan Silva, however, has denied the report’s assertions. The cricket board argues that because it does not accept government funding, it is exempt from government audits.
