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.


Champions League: Barcelona travels to Newcastle as round of 16 gets underway

Updated 10 March 2026
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Champions League: Barcelona travels to Newcastle as round of 16 gets underway

  • Spanish champions travel to St. James’ Park for the first leg, with coach Hansi Flick leaving his players in no doubt about what’s at stake

Barcelona faces Newcastle as the Champions League round of 16 gets underway on Tuesday.
The Spanish champions travel to St. James’ Park for the first leg, with coach Hansi Flick leaving his players in no doubt about what’s at stake.
“It’s one of the most important moments of the season and we are all ready for it,” he said.
Five-time European champion Barcelona hasn’t won the Champions League since 2015 and has had to watch on as its fiercest rival Real Madrid has dominated the competition.
Flick delivered the Spanish title last season, but his team was knocked out of the Champions League at the semifinals stage. He is aiming to improve on that this time around.
“What I can say is everything here in Barcelona is great,” he said. “I’m here 1 1-2 years and I’m enjoying every single day working with this fantastic team, with these fantastic players, with this staff around.
“Now we are building this club also for the future. This is what we want to do.”
Liverpool travels to Galatasaray on Tuesday and Bayern Munich is away to Atalanta.
Atletico Madrid hosts a Tottenham team that is fighting to avoid relegation from the Premier League.