ICC suspends Sri Lanka cricket board due to 'government interference'

The International Cricket Council (ICC) suspended the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board on Friday due to government interference. The suspension comes after the Sri Lankan government sacked the entire cricket board on allegations of corruption and appointed a new interim committee.

In its statement, the ICC said: "The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course." 

The ICC Board is set to meet on November 21, after which the future course of action is expected to be clearer.

“The ICC Board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka. The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course," ICC said in a release.

The Sri Lankan government has defended its decision to sack the cricket board, saying that it was necessary to "clean up" the sport. However, the ICC has said that it is "disappointed" with the government's decision and has urged it to "reconsider its position."

The Sri Lankan government fired the SLC following the team's poor performance at the World Cup, in which it lost seven of nine games.

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