Colombo, Sept 1:
Sri Lanka’s interim cricket administration is making efforts to convince the International Cricket Council to retain the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in the country, amid concerns over government interference in the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket.
The six-team T20 tournament is scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in February 2027. However, the ICC is reportedly considering an alternative venue because of concerns over governance and political intervention in the running of the country’s cricket board.
Sri Lanka’s interim committee chairman Eran Wickremaratna said the administration was committed to reforming Sri Lanka Cricket from the foundation and would work to address the concerns.
“We are very committed to really correcting from the very foundation. We are not backing out,” Wickremaratna said.
Interim committee official Prakash Schaffter said the ICC had indicated around two-and-a-half months ago that it was looking for an alternative venue.
However, he said Sri Lanka hoped to demonstrate that sufficient steps were being taken to reform the administration and persuade the ICC to keep the tournament in the country.
The tournament’s future has become uncertain following changes to Sri Lanka Cricket’s administration.
The current interim committee was appointed in April after the previous SLC administration was asked to resign over allegations of mismanagement and corruption. The sports minister subsequently appointed the Transformation Committee to overhaul the board’s constitution and governance structure.
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who is part of the interim committee, stressed the importance of maintaining close cooperation with the ICC.
He said the committee was moving through the process of formulating a new constitution before establishing an elected cricket administration.
The issue is particularly sensitive because the ICC does not support political intervention in the administration of its member cricket boards.
Sri Lanka now hopes that the governance reforms will be sufficient to convince the ICC that the country can host the tournament as scheduled.
A decision to move the event would represent a setback for Sri Lanka, which is seeking to strengthen its position as a major host of international women’s cricket.