Sri Lanka Cricket’s membership was recently suspended by the ICC as the governing body found SLC in breach of its rules and regulations which require a member board to operate without any government interference.

In a press release on November 11, the ICC said, “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 suspension came with the backdrop of ongoing turmoil in Sri Lankan cricket, fuelled by the country’s disappointing World Cup campaign, in which Sri Lanka finished ninth and failed to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe had recently sacked the SLC management committee and appointed an interim one headed by former World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, a decision that was overturned by the country’s Court of Appeal. Following that, the Sri Lankan parliament passed a resolution demanding the sacking of SLC.

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The SLC have responded to the developments with legal action. The President, Vice President, and the Treasurer of SLC have jointly filed a defamation lawsuit against Ranasinghe, seeking damages amounting to 2.4 billion rupees (roughly US$7.4 million) on behalf of SLC.

In a media release today (November 15), SLC said that the constant defamatory comments by Ranasinghe have caused harm to their reputation. “In response to the persistent and damaging defamatory statements made by the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Roshan Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a decisive step to protect its reputation and integrity,” said SLC.

“Therefore, on the 13th November 2023, the President, Vice President, and Treasurer of Sri Lanka Cricket jointly filed a defamation lawsuit in the District Court of Colombo, seeking damages amounting to 2.4 Billion rupees on behalf of the Sri Lanka Cricket.

“The continuous dissemination of false and harmful statements by the Minister of Sports has caused substantial harm to the image of Sri Lanka Cricket, both domestically and internationally.”

SLC mentioned that they continue to prioritze the best interests of cricket and cricket fans in Sri Lanka: “The legal proceedings initiated against the Minister of Sports underscore the organization’s dedication to upholding its principles and protecting its stakeholders from baseless allegations.

“Sri Lanka Cricket will continue to prioritize the best interests of the sport and its supporters while navigating through these legal proceedings. Further updates on the case will be provided as the situation develops.”