Cricket’s international governing body suspends Sri Lanka over political meddling

Sri Lanka's Kasun Rajitha takes off the bails to run out New Zealand's Mark Chapman during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, India, on November 9, 2023. (AP)
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Updated 10 November 2023
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Cricket’s international governing body suspends Sri Lanka over political meddling

  • Sri Lankan parliament asked the cricket board’s members to resign after a poor World Cup performance
  • The board is now locked in litigation after it was sacked by the country’s sports minister earlier this week

COLOMBO: The International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended Sri Lanka’s cricket board Friday, saying it had failed to ensure there was no government interference in its affairs.

The game’s world governing body said it had found that Sri Lanka Cricket was “in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and to ensure that there is no government interference.”

The suspension came a day after Sri Lanka’s parliament asked the board to resign over allegations of financial corruption.

The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC board later, it said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear if the indefinite suspension would affect Sri Lanka hosting the Under 19 World Cup in January.

The crisis involving the cricket board — the richest sporting organization in the bankrupt island country — came to a head after Sri Lanka’s humiliating World Cup defeat by India last week.

The Sri Lankan parliament unanimously asked Sri Lanka Cricket’s elected board members to resign on Thursday, accusing them of unprecedented corruption involving millions of dollars.

The board has not yet responded to the parliament’s non-binding resolution.

Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said Thursday’s move was a “historic resolution that sends a message to the world that Sri Lankan legislators have united to defend cricket and restore the integrity of the game.”

The board is now locked in litigation after it was sacked by the sports minister on Monday, only to be restored the following day by the Court of Appeal pending a hearing in two weeks.

The ICC has rules against political interference and has suspended Sri Lanka before.


Karim Benzema joins Al-Hilal

Updated 7 sec ago
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Karim Benzema joins Al-Hilal

RIYADH: Karim Benzema has joined Al-Hilal after leaving Al-Ittihad, the Riyadh club announced early Tuesday.
The former French international was introduced with a post on social media, “Karim Benzema is officially Hilali.”
The 2022 Ballon d’Or winner, who scored eight goals in 14 league matches this season, joined on a free transfer, his new club added.
Benzema moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 after 14 seasons with Real Madrid. Last season he scored 21 goals as Al-Ittihad won the league.
This season Al-Ittihad trail leaders Al-Hilal by 12 points. 

— with input from Reuters