ODI World Cup 2023: Sri Lanka Cricket Board suspension to be high on ICC quarterly board meeting discussion

The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold its quarterly and last board meeting of the year in Ahmedabad, India just two days after the ODI World Cup 2023. A range of issues will be on the table for discussion and implementation.

The ICC quarterly board meeting is set to take place on Tuesday, November 21 after two days of the ODI World Cup 2023 final. All the full member associates and those in the process will attend the meeting in person in Ahmedabad, India. Various topics have already been finalized for the discussion. 

Among them, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board’s recent suspension will be high on the table. Sri Lanka has been a strong pillar of the game for decades and houses a major fanbase and keeping it out of the purview for long will not be ideal for the ICC as well as the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.

The Sri Lankan government crossed the ethical limits when it tried to interfere in the proceedings of the cricket Board. Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe has been relentless with interference in the workings of the autonomous cricketing body. ICC in sight of this decided to suspend the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.

However, various top leaders of Sri Lanka including President Ranil Wickremesinghe have already reached out to Asian Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah. As a result of that, the ICC will discuss the matter urgently on Tuesday. Other agendas also include the future of ODI cricket. ICC, full members, and associate members are desperate to grow the format.

Zimbabwe Cricket chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani said, “This World Cup came at the same time as the rugby World Cup, so it would be a good opportunity to compare the audience and measure our global impact as a sport. It felt like the Rugby World Cup was more popular, especially in countries where both sports are popular.

I don't think the problem is with the ODI format... there aren't enough teams in the World Cup, even 14 isn't enough. And there won't be context without the Super League. We need ODI cricket, we can't afford to not have it. It is still a money-maker for us and many countries.”

This will also be the first ICC board meeting after the declaration of cricket's entry into the Los Angeles Olympics 2028. Hence, that too will be on the table for talks. The International Cricket Council is also eager to discuss the revenue model for the upcoming cricket cycle.