8 countries who were suspended by ICC ft. Sri Lanka
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the supreme governing body of the sport across the world. Among its various responsibilities is holding of cricket's global events such as the World Cups, World Test Championship, and Champions Trophy, etc.
Like every governing body, the International Cricket Council has its own set of rules and regulations, which the member nations have to follow. In case of a breach of any obligations, the council reserves the right to suspend the membership or even ban the offending board.
In a recent development, the ICC suspended the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the cricket board of Sri Lanka. This decision was brought about by the takeover of the board by the country's national government. But this is not the first time such a drastic step has been taken by the ICC.
In this listicle today, we will look at eight nations whose cricket boards were suspended by the International Cricket Council.
#1 ICC suspended Sri Lanka Cricket on Friday
Sri Lanka Cricket had been in the headlines after a report disclosed the corrupt activities taking place within it. The Parliament of Sri Lanka even passed a resolution to remove the corrupt management.
The International Cricket Council observed the recent happenings in the island nation and decided to suspend its cricket board on Friday. It is unknown how this suspension will impact the Sri Lankan men's and women's teams.
#2 Zimbabwe
The first Test-playing nation to receive a suspension from ICC was Zimbabwe. The international cricket's governing body suspended Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) with immediate effect on July 18, 2019.
ZC failed to provide a roadmap for democratic elections and also failed to keep government interference away from cricket administration. Hence, ICC suspended its funding to ZC and stopped Zimbabwe from participating in events organized by the International Cricket Council.
The ban was lifted just three months later after ICC met with the top officials of ZC and the country's government.
#3 Brunei
Asian country Brunei was an affiliate member of the International Cricket Council for 23 years. They joined in 1992 and participated in multiple Asian Cricket Council events.
Brunei was put on notice in 2013 after their failure to meet seven laws of the board. The international cricket governing body suspended Brunei in 2014 and expelled it from the list of affiliate members in 2015.
#4 Cuba
The Cuban Cricket Commission (CCC) joined ICC as an affiliate member in 2002. They competed in qualifying tournaments of the Americas region.
In 2013, the International Cricket Council suspended CCC after they failed to adhere to the board's guidelines. The CCC is yet to make a return.
#5 Morocco
African nation Morocco came into the limelight in 2002, when the country hosted the Morocco Cup featuring Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Royal Moroccan Cricket Federation had earlier joined ICC as an affiliate member in 1999.
The African country was present on ICC's members list till 2019. They were charged for being non-compliant with four statutes in 2014. Five years later, the international cricket governing body revoked their membership.
#6 Russia
Russia received a notice from the International Cricket Council after the board's 78th Annual General Meeting in 2021. The meeting happened virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the meeting, Russia received a year's notice to 'demonstrate compliance or risk having its membership of ICC terminated with immediate effect'. Upon Cricket Russia's failure to solve the issues, the board terminated their membership on July 26, 2022.
#7 Zambia
African country Zambia first received a formal warning from the International Cricket Council in 2014. Zambia was not compliant with finance statute 5.3 of the board, which stated that the country's board must demonstrate revenue independent of the International Cricket Council.
The amount should be $25,000 or 10 percent of ICC's funding to the nation, whichever is higher. In 2019, Zambia received a suspension for their continued non-compliance to amend the breaches, and two years later, ICC terminated their membership.
#8 Tonga
Tonga is a part of the East Asia-Pacific region. The small nation joined the international cricket governing body as an affiliate member in 2000. The team participated in multiple events and even recorded wins against Indonesia and the Cook Islands.
However, in 2013, the International Cricket Council suspended Tonga for not having a full-time paid administrator. A year later, the board revoked Tonga's membership. Notably, current Netherlands captain Scott Edwards was born in Tonga.