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NEW DELHI: The ICC Board on Tuesday made the decision to relocate the upcoming men’s Under-19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa. This move came 11 days after the ICC provisionally suspended the cricket body in Sri Lanka due to government interference.
Interestingly, it was Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that took the initiative to contact the ICC, notifying them about the interference of the government in the administration of cricket within the country.
Tensions between SLC and the Sports Ministry have been ongoing. The government has alleged SLC officials of engaging in corruption and mismanagement.
“The U19 World Cup has been shifted to South Africa from Sri Lanka due to SLC’s suspension. In fact, participating nations were apprised some days back after SLC got suspended. South Africa hosted the U19 WC in 2020. The decision got approved at the ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad,” an ICC Board member told PTI.
“Sri Lanka’s bilateral and domestic cricket will not be affected by this.”
SLC president Shammi Silva had recently warned that the country could lose the hosting rights of the U-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held from January 13 to February 4, if the government’s interference continued.
In a statement released on Monday, SLC had said,” While SLC focuses on resolving the suspension issue, it appears that the minister of sports is pursuing a different agenda through media manipulation without pursuing legal avenues to address the allegations.”
“This raises concerns about its intention to influence public opinion and other stakeholders to achieve its objective of taking control of SLC through the misuse of its powers.
“SLC calls for a fair and unbiased examination of the facts and remains focused on its mission to uphold the integrity of cricket in Sri Lanka and is confident that the truth will prevail in due course.”
(With PTI inputs)
Interestingly, it was Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that took the initiative to contact the ICC, notifying them about the interference of the government in the administration of cricket within the country.
Tensions between SLC and the Sports Ministry have been ongoing. The government has alleged SLC officials of engaging in corruption and mismanagement.
“The U19 World Cup has been shifted to South Africa from Sri Lanka due to SLC’s suspension. In fact, participating nations were apprised some days back after SLC got suspended. South Africa hosted the U19 WC in 2020. The decision got approved at the ICC Board meeting in Ahmedabad,” an ICC Board member told PTI.
“Sri Lanka’s bilateral and domestic cricket will not be affected by this.”
SLC president Shammi Silva had recently warned that the country could lose the hosting rights of the U-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held from January 13 to February 4, if the government’s interference continued.
In a statement released on Monday, SLC had said,” While SLC focuses on resolving the suspension issue, it appears that the minister of sports is pursuing a different agenda through media manipulation without pursuing legal avenues to address the allegations.”
“This raises concerns about its intention to influence public opinion and other stakeholders to achieve its objective of taking control of SLC through the misuse of its powers.
“SLC calls for a fair and unbiased examination of the facts and remains focused on its mission to uphold the integrity of cricket in Sri Lanka and is confident that the truth will prevail in due course.”
(With PTI inputs)
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