Sri Lanka lose hosting rights for inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy: Reports

New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly stripped Sri Lanka of hosting rights for the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy.

The decision came after the ICC decided it can’t go ahead with Sri Lanka hosting the tournament while a government-appointed interim administration is running Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). The women’s Champions Trophy 2027 will be the first such tournament, featuring six teams in the event running from February 14 to 28.

A report in the Sunday Times claimed that Sri Lanka has lost the hosting rights for the tournament, with the new venue set to be determined at the next ICC Board meeting. “Yes, it has been moved out of Sri Lanka,” secretary of the SLC Transformation Committee Prakash Shaffter said, as quoted by the weekly broadsheet. “It will be played at another venue, but as of now, I am not sure where it will be played.”

The International Cricket body has maintained that no government interference should be there in the member countries. The ICC had also refused the SLC representatives permission to attend the ICC Board meeting since the board was run by a Transformation Committee.

During a statement last month, the ICC had asked the SLC to conduct elections “as soon as possible”. “The ICC Board received an update on Sri Lanka Cricket and noted progress towards a revised Constitution. It reiterated the need for elections to be held as soon as possible and agreed that Sri Lanka Cricket would continue to be unable to be represented at ICC Board meetings for the time being,” the ICC had said in a statement.

The interim committee has submitted a draft constitution to the Sports Minister. The proposed changes will move through the legal process and will then be tabled in Parliament. However, the process is not likely to be completed quickly.

Moreover, Sri Lanka can also miss out on competing in the Champions Trophy altogether. The top five teams in the ICC rankings are expected to qualify, with the host nation being the sixth team. The Lankan side is currently ranked sixth in the world, and if the tournament is moved to a nation which is outside the top six in the ICC rankings, Sri Lanka would not be able to compete in the tournament.

–IANS

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