• ICC suspends Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect due to ‘government interference’

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    ICC suspends Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect due to ‘government interference’
    The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has now declared that it has suspended Sri Lanka's membership...

    Digital Desk: The ICC announced in a statement that they had suspended Sri Lanka cricket's membership with immediate effect on November 10. The World Cricket Council made their judgment one day after New Zealand humbled Sri Lanka to halt their World Cup 2023 campaign. Only two of the nine games the 1996 World Cup champions played in the 2023 edition were victories.




    However, the problems facing Sri Lankan cricket go beyond their on-field deficiencies. The Sri Lankan government dismissed the cricket board after it was alleged to have engaged in widespread corruption. Following a humiliating 302-run loss to India in the 2023 World Cup, Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe fired the entire cricket board. The temporary board, which consists of three judges, was appointed by Arjuna Ranatunga, the captain who led his country to victory in the 1996 World Cup.

    Next came a unanimous motion in the Sri Lankan parliament on November 9th, supported by both the ruling and opposition parties, which demanded the dismissal of the nation's cricket regulatory body.

    The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has now declared that it has suspended Sri Lanka's membership indefinitely due to the country's violation of its membership requirements. 

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) will determine the terms of the ban in due course, but it may result in Sri Lanka's exclusion from the main ICC competitions, beginning with the 2024 World Cup.