Three members of the ICC committee arrive in Sri Lanka to look into allegations of political meddling in cricket.

Imran Khwaja, the deputy chairman of the International Cricket Council, came in Sri Lanka on May 10 to investigate political meddling in the country’s cricket match hosting. Khawaja is one of the three members of the ICC-appointed committee looking into the challenges Sri Lanka faces in holding cricket matches in their country without incident after political and civil instability damaged it in 2022.

A “Fact Finding Mission” linked to the given “mandate” is the reason for the visit. Discussions with Mr. Shammi Silva, President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), and the SLC Executive Committee took place as part of his “Fact Finding Mission.”

Khwaja asked the SLC about challenges faced by Sri Lanka Cricket as a result of political interferences and how that affected the organization of cricket matches.

On May 8, 2023, Sri Lanka Cricket wrote to the Honorable Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs and Irrigation to let him know that Mr. Khwaja was visiting Sri Lanka and intended to meet with the Honorable Minister.

Sri Lanka will compete in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup qualifiers beginning on June 18. Ten nations will compete in the competition for the final two berths in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will begin on October 5 and be held in India.

With seven victories from 24 games, Sri Lanka placed tenth in the points standings of the Cricket World Cup Super League but was unable to qualify directly for the prestigious competition.

This year, Sri Lanka will defend their Asia Cup title.
After the qualifying rounds, the island country will defend its Asia Cup championship in September. By defeating Pakistan in the final to win the previous Asia Cup, Sri Lanka gave their supporters some brief moments of happiness amidst the country’s political unrest.

However, Sri Lanka Cricket has not yet been named as the Asia Cup 2023 host nation, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board has objected to holding the event under the hybrid format suggested by the Pakistan Cricket Board, where India’s matches will be played in the United Arab Emirates.

According to certain sources, if the tournament is transferred from Pakistan, it might be held in Sri Lanka. The host of the competition will become clearer in the upcoming weeks.