Sri Lanka sports minister Harin Fernando revokes sacking of SLC board

On December 12, Tuesday, Sports Minister Harin Fernando of Sri Lanka reversed the dismissal of the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, which had been accused of corruption. This move was aimed at resolving the suspension imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC). 

By rescinding the sacking, the minister intends to address the ICC's concerns about "government interference" in the board's management. This development is part of an ongoing saga that resulted in the sacking of Fernando's predecessor, Roshan Ranasinghe, who had accused the country's president Ranil Wickremesinghe of an assassination attempt.

"I signed a gazette to revoke the decision appointing an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket, aiming to lift our ICC suspension," Fernando wrote on X.

Fernando mentioned that he has requested the ICC's "observations" on an audit report probing alleged corruption within the board during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. As of now, the ICC has not provided immediate feedback on this matter. In November 2023, Ranasinghe dismissed the elected board, accusing its office-bearers of severe corruption, a charge they vehemently deny. Notably, the global governing body responded by suspending Sri Lanka, citing the board's failure to prevent political interference.

The scandal surrounding corruption within the SLC, the wealthiest sports entity, resulted in Ranasinghe's dismissal late last month. Ranasinghe had been in a dispute with President Wickremesinghe regarding the management of SLC, steadfastly refusing to rescind the board's dismissal as demanded by the president.

Ranasinghe recently expressed concerns for his safety due to his efforts "to cleanse the cricket board" at the parliament. "If I am assassinated on the road, the president and his chief of staff will be responsible," he stated.

ICC took away hosting rights of the U-19 World Cup from Sri Lanka due to governing issues

Following the ICC's ban, Sri Lanka forfeited the hosting rights for the Under-19 World Cup scheduled for January 2024. South Africa has since become the new host for the forthcoming tournament. The ICC, citing regulations against political interference, has previously suspended Sri Lanka.

However, this suspension had immediate financial consequences, as SLC's elected members revealed that the country lost a $2.4 million ICC grant designated for venue development to host the 16-nation event. Despite the ban, Sri Lanka remains eligible to engage in bilateral tournaments.