'Whole team Timed-out': Netizens abuzz as ICC suspends Sri Lanka Cricket due to government interference

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) right away because the government has been too involved in running the board. Even though they call it a "suspension," it's more like a warning to stop the government from getting too much into SLC's business. This suspension won't directly hurt Sri Lankan cricket now because their World Cup campaign is over, and there's no cricket until December. Also, the ICC won't send any money to SLC until January.

The ICC meets every quarter, and the upcoming one is scheduled for November 18-21 in Ahmedabad. In a recent online meeting on Friday, the ICC board discussed the problem of the government interfering in different parts of SLC, like how it's run, money matters, and things related to the national team. More decisions about what to do next will be made during another ICC board meeting on November 21.

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Also, the ICC still considers Shammi Silva, the president of SLC, as the official leader. He's expected to be part of the ICC meetings in Ahmedabad, but just as an observer, as agreed upon by the ICC Board. Silva's role is a big part of why the ICC suspended SLC.

"The ICC Board met today and determined that Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a Member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka," the ICC said in a statement. "The ICC Board will decide the conditions of the suspension in due course."

Right after the news came out, cricket fans went on social media to discuss the matter. Some even made light of the issue, bringing up the recent drama between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh where Angelo Mathews became the first cricketer to be dismissed by "timed-out." This time, many people joked that the entire team got "timed out" by the ICC.

ICC has suspended SLC, marking the second Full Member suspension in the last four years following the suspension of Zimbabwe Cricket in 2019 for similar reasons. 

Unlike the situation in Zimbabwe, where all cricket activities were abruptly halted and funding was frozen, the ICC will approach Sri Lanka's case with caution.