The ICC Board on Tuesday determined to shift the 2024 men’s Under-19 World Cup from Sri Lanka to South Africa. The move, a unanimous decision by the board, was once taken as a consequence of the ICC recently provisionally suspending the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) because of extensive government interference in the board’s administration.
The development will haven’t any instant implication on the day-to-day running of cricket. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the ICC Board agreed that cricket at all levels including any bilateral and domestic series and tournaments might not be disrupted by the suspension. As for the ICC annual underwriting, that would be controlled until the suspension is lifted.
Shammi Silva, SLC president, had recently warned that the biennial tournament, scheduled in January 2024 was once in danger of being moved in another country unless the ICC was once content that Sri Lanla government was once not meddling in board’s working, which goes against the ICC charter. The SLC and the country’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe have been in clash during the last year, with Ranasinghe making accusations of corruption and mismanagement in the cricket board, while Silva and SLC accuse him of meddling with cricket.
Silva also notified the ICC in November 2022 of government interference which forced the ICC Board to ask its deputy chairman Imran Khawaja to go back and forth to Sri Lanka to set up the facts.
South Africa has been a favourite for hosting U-19 World Cup events recently. The country hosted the inaugural edition of the Women’s U-19 World Cup in 2023 and the men’s U-19 World Cup in 2020 too.