England’s 2024 Test cricket summer under threat as Sri Lanka suspended by ICC

England’s Test series against Sri Lanka next summer is under threat after the tourists were suspended by the International Cricket Council.

Sri Lanka Cricket have had their ICC membership suspended with immediate effect after the government sacked their entire board last week, replacing it with an interim seven-member committee headed by 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

That move was blocked by the courts for 14 days earlier this week but the internal politicking, triggered by a disappointing World Cup campaign that saw Sri Lanka beat only the Netherlands and England, has seen the ICC take action.

An ICC statement said: “Sri Lanka Cricket is in serious breach of its obligations as a member, in particular, the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and ensure there is no government interference in the governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket in Sri Lanka. The conditions of the suspension will be decided by the ICC Board in due course.”

The ICC have told i they are yet to decide whether Sri Lanka will be banned from playing international cricket. That will be determined at their next board meeting later this month.

Yet if the issue remains unresolved it would cause a significant headache for the England & Wales Cricket Board given Sri Lanka are scheduled to play Tests at Old Trafford, Lord’s and The Oval at the height of next summer. Tickets for the matches, which will be played in August and early September, are already on sale and depending on whether Sri Lanka resolve their internal issues, the ECB could be forced to draft in new opponents for those Tests.

Zimbabwe were the only previous full ICC member to be suspended back in 2019 following government interference. They were reinstated after three months.

The ECB refused to comment when asked by i whether they were confident next summer would go ahead as planned.

Meanwhile, England’s final match of a wretched World Cup campaign against Pakistan at Eden Gardens on Saturday will be the end of an era, with up to nine players in this squad potentially playing their last ODI.

The match itself is a dead rubber. That’s barring a huge Pakistan victory – by approximately 287 runs – that would lift them into the semi-finals ahead of New Zealand and push England out of the top eight and the 2025 Champions Trophy.