Harin hopeful ICC’s suspension on SLC will be lifted

By Susil Premalal 

Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC’s) suspension by the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be lifted on before February 15, Sports Minister Harin Fernando said yesterday. 
The Minister expressed his confidence that the ICC suspension will be lifted following a fruitful discussion with the ICC CEO Geoff Allardice, who also met President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to Sri Lanka.   

The Minister made these observations during a media briefing held at the Tourism Ministry in Colombo.  

Minister Fernando said that the ICC delegation was quite satisfied with the recent negotiations in Colombo and had granted the greenlight to lift Sri Lanka’s suspension before their departure. 

Minister Fernando said that the ICC delegation were aware of Sri Lanka’s Sports Constitution and had requested an amendment to the regulations to suit the ICC code of ethics.     
Minister Fernando said that President Wickremesinghe had also granted his consent to amend the current Sports Constitution.   

The Minister noted that under the new amendment, the powers vested on his portfolio will also be changed.    

Minister Fernando said that SLC’s suspension by the ICC was a huge blow for the tourism industry as the ICC Annual General Meeting was scheduled to be held in Colombo. 
Minister Fernando further said that SLC’s administrative and coaching structure need to be revamped to meet the current high demand while focusing more on the 
player welfare.