• Letter to be sent to ICC seeking details for ban
• ICC’s dispute resolution mechanism is next step

Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe asserted yesterday (11) that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had not adhered to proper procedures before imposing any ban or suspension.

Speaking at a press conference held at his ministry, Ranasinghe revealed that he had learnt about Sri Lanka’s ban by the ICC through the media. 

Subsequently, he had promptly sought legal advice on the necessary steps the ministry should take to overturn the ban.

The Minister expressed his disappointment that appropriate protocols had not been followed when enforcing this suspension.

The ICC has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) membership, citing a breach of obligations related to autonomous management and Government interference. 

The suspension’s conditions will be determined by the ICC Board, with a meeting scheduled for 21 November.

Ranasinghe cited examples of proper procedures followed in previous ICC bans or suspensions. 

For instance, he pointed out that Pakistan had violated certain ICC rules and was now under an interim council. 

In the case of Afghanistan, which is supposed to have a women’s team according to ICC rules, the Taliban Government’s ban on women in sports has been respected by the ICC.

According to the Minister, the correct procedure includes initially informing the offending country by letter, specifying the ICC rules that were violated. The offending country then has one year to respond to the letter or make changes to align with the policies outlined.

“As we do not know the primary reasons for the ban yet, my team is currently drafting a letter asking the ICC the policies Sri Lanka had violated and the reason for not following protocols before placing the ban/suspension,” he added.

The Minister added that once these reasons had been communicated to Sri Lanka by the ICC, the ministry would reach out to the ICC’s independent Dispute Resolution Committee to initiate the dispute resolution proceedings.

The Minister also expressed confidence that Sri Lanka had sufficient capability to solve this at this level.

However, he said that should this fail as well, the next steps would be for Sri Lanka to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is located in Switzerland. The Minister said that he doubted it would go that far.

Ranasinghe further stated that this was only the beginning and that he would clean up all of Sri Lanka Cricket, including at district and local levels. 

He also termed the Kandy cricket scene a veritable “den of thieves”.

He showed a draft of a constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket, which he is currently discussing with his advisors, and claimed that it would bring corruption to a minimum. 

This legal framework for SLC includes provisions such as that the same official cannot hold multiple positions in multiple cricket boards and that officials cannot hold office for more than four years.

He said that he would do everything in his power to clean up the cricket board, which would at least mean that people coming in the future would have better prospects. 

However, he also asserted that should there be interference against him exercising his power as the Minister of Sports, he would have no use for this ministry as his mission would be left incomplete.