The ICC stated in a brief press release announcing the decision that the terms of the ban will be established by the ICC Board in due course.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership in the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been suspended with immediate effect by the ICC Board, the sport’s global governing body stated on Friday evening.
“The ICC Board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, particularly 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 ICC said in a short press release.
The ICC Board will determine the terms of the suspension in due course.
The news follows the islands’ difficult World Cup campaign, in which they are presently ninth in the 10-team rankings after winning only two of their nine matches.
There has been uproar in Sri Lankan cricket about the national team’s performance. Sri Lankan Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe fired the SLC management on Monday and named former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga to lead a seven-member temporary council to oversee the cricket board. The Court of Appeal, however, overruled that decision.
Later that week, the Sri Lankan parliament unanimously voted a motion calling for SLC’s dismissal. It was backed by parties on both sides of the aisle.
That resolution, passed by the Sri Lankan parliament, appears to have irritated the ICC.
The ICC last suspended a full member two years ago, when Zimbabwe Cricket was suspended owing to government influence once again.
