The International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken a huge decision to move the U19 World Cup out of Sri Lanka due to the ongoing turmoil in the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board. This decision was reportedly taken by the ICC during a meeting in Ahmedabad. The tournament will now be played in South Africa.
Notably, the Sri Lanka board was suspended by the ICC board owing to interference from the Sri Lankan spot minister. This was done after the Sports Minister removed the entire SLC board after the team’s poor performance in the World Cup 2023. He then installed an ad hoc committee under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga, their 1996 World Cup-winning captain.
However, SLC chairman Shammi Silva went to court for the same and won the decision in his favor. This led to the old members of the SLC coming back.
ICC board decided to suspend the Sri Lanka board in response to what it perceived to be excessive government interference in the SLC administration, which ended in the dissolution of the country's cricket board.
“Sri Lanka cricket is being ruined because of Jay Shah”- Arjuna Ranatunga
In the ICC meeting in Ahmedabad, after a detailed deliberation, the board has decided to uphold the November 10 decision to suspend the SLC. The board said that while cricket involving the island team will continue uninterrupted, the suspension, however, will not be overturned.
"It was a unanimous decision by the board that the suspension cannot be lifted. Cricket in the country will continue as normal," a well-placed source told Cricbuzz.
Sammi Silva, the ousted president of the ICC, attended the board meeting, held at ITC Narmada in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, November 21.
Meanwhile, the U19 World Cup, which was supposed to be played between January 14 and February 15 in Sri Lanka, has been moved to South Africa. The dates will clash with the second edition of SA20, which runs from January 10 to February 10.
However, a top Cricket South Africa (CSA) official told Cricbuzz that both events can be organized simultaneously as the T20 league is being overseen autonomously by a body independent of CSA.
(Cricbuzz report)
