The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Sri Lanka will no longer be hosts for the Under-19 men's Cricket World Cup, which is due to be held in just a few months time, after the country was suspended due to political interference in the sport.
Though the ICC announced the suspension has now been lifted, it “confirmed Sri Lanka would be replaced as hosts” for the upcoming tournament in January 2024.
The global sporting body announced that Sri Lanka can continue to compete internationally both in bilateral cricket and ICC events, but funding to Sri Lanka Cricket “will be controlled by the ICC”.
According to Sky Sports,
“Earlier this month, Sri Lanka Cricket released a statement denying government accusations it had mishandled preparations for the U19 World Cup, also denying accusations of transferring $2m from its accounts to third party accounts."
"Sri Lanka won just two of their nine matches at the men's Cricket World Cup in India, finishing second bottom of the table."
Sri Lankan Cricket has been in crisis for years, but this has been acutely worsened this month after the team’s dismal showing in the Cricket World Cup. The sport has been maligned by accusations of political interference for years, whilst also continuing to maintain close links to the war crimes accused military.
It is not just cricket. Earlier this year, FIFA suspended Sri Lanka following "undue interference by a third party" during an election conducted by the federation. The ban was eventually lifted in August, though FIFA said it would continue to monitor events within Sri Lankan football closely.
