Colombo, July 15 (IANS) The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board, during its Annual Meetings in Edinburgh, has once again asked the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to hold elections as soon as possible and has noted progress made towards adopting a revised constitution, a news report in the local media said on Wednesday.

Though the Board received an update on the governance situation in Sri Lanka Cricket and acknowledged the work being carried out to finalise a revised constitution, it still maintained that SLC will remain unable to be represented at ICC Board meetings until further progress is made, said a report in the Colombo newspaper Daily Mirror.

The report said the ICC informed that it expects the elections to be conducted at the earliest opportunity as part of efforts to strengthen governance within the national cricket body.

In addition to the Sri Lanka Cricket update, the ICC Board approved several governance, membership, and Member support initiatives.

Meanwhile, the ICC Board constituted a Governance Review Committee and installed BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia as its chair.

In a significant administrative development, the ICC said its Board approved the establishment of two key board sub-committees to oversee crucial sectors of the global game. The Governance Review Committee will be headed by Saikia, with Dr. Mohammed Moosajee (Cricket South Africa) and Dr. Ros Rivaz (ICC Independent Director) serving as the other members.

Additionally, the ICC has established a Franchise Leagues Committee, which will be chaired by the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) President and former men’s captain Tamim Iqbal. This panel also includes Saikia, Dr Rudie van Vuuren (Cricket Namibia), Richard Gould (England and Wales Cricket Board), and Todd Greenberg (Cricket Australia).

Meanwhile, in a major boost to cricket’s global footprint, the ICC approved Mauritius’s admission as its 111th member, marking another important step in the game’s continued global growth.

“The addition of Mauritius reflects the ICC’s commitment to expanding cricket’s reach, strengthening its presence in emerging markets, and creating greater opportunities for participation and development across the world,” said the ICC in its statement.

In another key financial decision, the Board approved a USD 12.82 million loan to Cricket West Indies (CWI) to support the member board’s operations. The ICC Board also addressed critical administrative and compliance matters concerning several member nations.

Regarding Sri Lanka Cricket, the ICC noted progress toward a revised Constitution but reiterated the need for elections to be held at the earliest. It further ruled that SLC will continue to be barred from representation at ICC Board meetings for the time being. As of now, SLC is being run by a nine-member transformation committee after the government sacked the board’s previous office bearers.

–IANS

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