Sri Lanka Cricket has shown interest in hosting two global flagship tournaments of the International Cricket Council (ICC) between the years 2023-31.
The ICC invited expression of interest from its members for events in the 2023-31 cycle and Sri Lanka along with 17 other members have shown interest in holding the 28 events proposed for the cycle.
“We have shown interest for two events which we cannot disclose at this stage because of the confidentiality,” Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva told the Daily News.
“Once you show the expression of interest it’s a matter of them calling for bids. Nobody will know who has shown interest. We don’t know what other countries that have shown interest. Likewise the other countries will not know what we have shown interest. It’s only the ICC who does it very discreetly,” he said. However De Silva disclosed that Sri Lanka “is going for the main ones in the men’s events”.
The three main men’s events that the ICC hosts are the Cricket World Cup, the World T20 and the Champions Trophy, and quite recently the World Test Championship.
This is besides the Under 19 World Cup and the Women’s World Cup and the Women’s World T20 tournaments.
Sri Lanka has not hosted an ICC event since the ICC World T20 in 2012.
In the past Sri Lanka has hosted two Cricket World Cups jointly with India and Pakistan in 1996 and jointly with India and Bangladesh in 2011.
They have also hosted the World T20 men’s and women’s tournament in 2012, the Champions Trophy in 2002 and the under 19 World Cup in 2000 and 2006.
In response to the ‘expression of interest’ communication sent out to all members’ boards, including the associate nations, the ICC it is reported has received 93 offers for 28 events to be staged in the eight years, from 18 member boards that includes India, England, Australia and Pakistan, a country that has been largely starved of international cricket since a 2009 attack on the touring Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore.
The Hindustan Times reported: “The proposed rights are contentious as the ICC plans to schedule one world event every year from 2023 to 2031. At the heart of the dispute is the introduction of two additional world events – a 10-nation T20 Champions Cup in 2024 and 2028.”
“The BCCI stated that increasing ICC events will have wide-ranging repercussions on bilateral cricket and therefore all aspects need to be discussed and analysed threadbare.”
“Apart from the eight main men’s events, ICC is also seeking bidders for the same number of women’s events, the World Test Championship finals every alternate year as well as U-19 World Cups to be staged every two years.”
Reuters reported: “ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney toured several member countries encouraging bids following the governing body’s decision to select hosts of future events through a bidding process.
“We are extremely encouraged with the positive response we’ve received for the 2023-31 cycle,” an ICC spokesman said.
“We have had close to 100 offers with 18 members showing interest in holding the 28 events proposed for the cycle.”
Meanwhile the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier is scheduled to be played from 3-19 July in Sri Lanka. This is subject to review due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 10 teams vying for the three remaining places in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 will be the hosts, Sri Lanka, along with Pakistan and West Indies from the ICC Women’s Championship, the two other teams with ODI status, Bangladesh and Ireland, and the winners of the five regional qualifiers - Thailand (Asia), Zimbabwe (Africa), Papua New Guinea (East Asia Pacific), United States of America (Americas) and Netherlands (Europe).
DOMESTIC CRICKET TO RESUME IN JUNE-JULY?
De Silva stated that Sri Lanka Cricket ExCo members have had discussions about resuming the Major Tiers A and B tournament and hopefully they could make a start by June.
“We talk to each other over the phone and we work on emails. We get the solutions out and get the views of ExCo members before passing it out,” said De Silva.
“The way forward for the Major Tier tournament we have discussed to start it by end of June-July. We are working on that basis,” he said.
De Silva said that the fitness regimes of the national cricketers are monitored daily by head coach Mickey Arthur who has stayed back in Colombo along with batting coach Grant Flower and head of the High Performance Centre Tim McCaskill. “The national cricketers have been given programs and Mickey is currently engaged with all the players on a daily basis, he is monitoring whether they are sticking to their schedules and sharing a lot of information with them operating from home,” said De Silva.
“Mickey, Grant and Tim are in Colombo and they are the ones who are monitoring the players on a daily basis. Bowling and fielding coaches David Sekar and Tim McDermott have returned to Australia to be with their families. Anyway they had applied for leave to be in Australia during this time,” he said.
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