In a major blow to Sri Lankan cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was forced to take the extreme step and suspend the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board citing direct government interference. Such government intervention goes against the ICC constitution.
The ICC board will discuss further sanctions and the conditions of suspension at a meeting on November 21, two days after the World Cup final.
While this isn’t something new in sport and Zimbabwe and the USA have been suspended in the past, what is worrying is that Sri Lanka are expected to host the Under-19 World Cup in January. Sources confirmed that the fate of the tournament was now uncertain and its future could well be decided on the November 21.
If the tournament is moved from Sri Lanka, it could be a major blow for a country that is already struggling. The World Cup has not gone well for the Lankan lions and will be remembered more for the Angelo Mathews timed-out dismissal than any strong performances. When you add to that the political and economic uncertainty the country has been facing for over a year, the suspension couldn’t have come at a worse time. World cricket needs a strong Sri Lanka, and it is unfortunate that the government decided to step in and add to the crisis.
The way out of this mess is, however, a known one. In India, for example, we saw a similar situation in football in July 2022. Citing issues of mismanagement and interference, FIFA had suspended the AIFF just months ahead of the U-17 Women’s World Cup. Within weeks, the government swung into action, and after a lot of back-channel talks and Supreme Court intervention, elections were fixed for the first week of September. Things subsequently fell in place, and the World Cup was held with much fanfare in October 2022.
The truth is that the Sri Lankan government’s reaction was a knee-jerk one based on the poor performance of the national team. It was an effort to tap into the emotional national outburst that inevitably follows a failed World Cup campaign. Taking over the running of SLC was more playing to the gallery than anything else.
What Sri Lanka cricket needs is calm. What it has at the moment is uncertainty. The ICC too would be aware that it needs Sri Lanka. Some proper planning, and things could still be resolved in the next one month or so. To relocate a tournament at the last moment isn’t easy, and some sensible decision-making from all parties could ensure that things don’t come to such a pass. While an appraisal of the World Cup performance is necessary, a series of drastic knee-jerk reactions would only add to the crisis.
Maybe, former legends of Sri Lankan cricket could come together and hold fort in the next few weeks. Men like Mahela Jayawardene or Kumar Sangakkara, for example, have credibility, and such faces are needed at the top to give direction. With few strong teams playing the sport, a suspended Sri Lanka isn’t something to look forward to as the World Cup nears its conclusion.