Sri Lanka are SUSPENDED from international cricket over government interference in the country’s cricket board following their poor World Cup campaign

• Sri Lanka’s ministry of sport dismissed the cricket authority’s board 
• It followed a poor World Cup which saw them win just two of their nine matches
• Government interference in any nation’s cricket board contravenes ICC rules 

The International Cricket Council has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership with immediate effect following government interference.

Sri Lanka’s ministry of sport dismissed the board of the country’s cricket authority and replaced it with an interim committee following their poor performance at the 50-over World Cup in India.

They won just two of their nine World Cup matches and sit second bottom in the standings. New Zealand beat them by five wickets in their final group game on Thursday.

‘The ICC Board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member,’ it said in a statement. 

‘In particular, 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.

Sri Lanka has been suspended by the International Cricket Council over government interference following their poor 50-over World Cup campaign in India

Sri Lanka won two and lost seven of their nine matches at the tournament in India 

‘The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course.’

The ICC Board is set to meet on November 21, after which the future course of action is expected to be clearer. 

Sri Lanka are due to host the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, starting in January next year.

They are also scheduled to tour England next summer for three Test matches in August and September.

It is understood the ICC board was concerned by the Sri Lankan government’s interference in all areas with SLC, including finance and governance.

On Monday, Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the SLC board and installed an interim committee.

But Sri Lanka’s courts effectively reversed that decision the following day by issuing a 14-day staying order.

Angelo Mathews became the first international cricketer ever to be timed out on Monday

Mathews’ helmet broke in chaotic circumstances and he was unable to secure a new one before his two-minute timeframe ran out. Bangladesh’s appeal was then upheld by the umpires

Sri Lanka is the second full member of the ICC to be suspended in the last four years after Zimbabwe suffered a similar fate in 2019.

In their case, all cricket activities in the country were shut down and funding was frozen following government interference.

Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign began with New Zealand smashing 428 against them and was followed by losses to Pakistan and Australia.

They recovered with a five-wicket win over the Netherlands and an emphatic eight-wicket win over England, whom they bowled out for just 156.

However, a seven-wicket defeat to Afghanistan was followed by an embarrassing 302-run thrashing by hosts India, who bowled them out for just 55.

Losses to Bangladesh and New Zealand mean they are unlikely to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy by taking a top-eight place.

In the Bangladesh game, Angelo Mathews suffered the dubious honour of being the first player to be timed out in International cricket.

It came after Shakib-Al-Hasan appealed that he wasn’t ready to face his first delivery within the required two minutes after walking out to bat because of an issue with his helmet.

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