SLC Got 'ICC Exception' For International Participation Despite Suspension from the ICC
The president of Sri Lanka Cricket, Shammi Silva, has made a "fervent appeal" to the members of the International Cricket Council board to "carve out an exception" that allowed Sri Lanka to play international cricket despite getting suspended. Earlier in the month, SLC was suspended by the ICC because of a political slugfest in Sri Lanka after the introduction of an interim committee led by Arjun Ranatunga by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe, who also suspended the entire SLC board following a heavy loss to India in the Cricket World Cup and a disappointing tournament overall, which saw them win only two matches out of nine and also miss out on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 slot.
On Tuesday In the ICC Board meeting, it was confirmed that the funding for SLC will be controlled by the ICC and the ICC Board, and Sri Lanka will no longer host the ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024, which will now be held in South Africa. However, they allowed Sri Lanka to play international cricket because of Silva's appeal to the board members.
As per the release of SLC, "participating in [the ICC board meeting on November 21] as an observer, the President of SLC, Mr. Shammi Silva, urged the ICC board to grant additional time for the Sri Lankan government to rectify the issue of political interference in cricket.”
It further added that, "However, the ICC Board, taking cognizance of similar suspensions imposed by World Rugby and FIFA in response to political interference, concluded that ample time had already been afforded to the Sri Lankan government to address and rectify the issue. Consequently, the ICC board confirmed the suspension of Sri Lanka Cricket.”