ICC U-19 World Cup shifted from Sri Lanka to South Africa | Madhyamam

Ahmedabad: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup, which was supposed to be held in Sri Lanka, has been shifted to South Africa. The decision was made keeping in mind the uncertain situation in Sri Lankan cricket. The ICC suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) citing the Sri Lankan government’s undue interference in the governance of the cricket board. The decision to suspend the SLC on November 10 was confirmed at the ICC meeting held in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.

It was a unanimous board decision that the suspension was irrevocable. Despite the ban, it is reported that Sri Lankan cricket will continue as normal. The Sri Lankan team will still be able to compete in ICC tournaments and international series. But funding to the Sri Lankan Cricket Board will be restricted.

The U-19 World Cup was to be held between January 14 and February 15. The second edition of the SA 20 (Twenty 20) takes place around the same time. The CEO of Cricket South Africa (CSA) said the two could be run in parallel as the Twenty20 league is overseen by an independent body. The option of holding in Oman and UAE was also considered. But South Africa was preferred as it has better infrastructure.