Dubai, The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board, after its recent meeting, has confirmed the terms of Sri Lanka Cricket’s (SLC) suspension. The decision allows Sri Lanka to continue competing in international bilateral cricket and ICC events, despite its recent suspension for breaching obligations of autonomous management and non-interference by the government. However, the ICC has taken control of the funding to SLC, and Sri Lanka will no longer host the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2024, which is now scheduled to take place in South Africa.
According to the International Cricket Council, the Board also approved new gender eligibility regulations for international cricket. These regulations, which were developed following a nine-month consultation with stakeholders, prioritize the integrity of the women’s game, safety, fairness, and inclusion. Under the new policy, Male to Female participants who have undergone any form of male puberty will not be eligible to participate in international women’s cricket, regardless of any surgery or gender reassignment treatment. This policy review, led by the ICC Medical Advisory Committee chaired by Dr. Peter Harcourt, applies only to international women’s cricket. Domestic gender eligibility will be determined by individual Member Boards and may be influenced by local legislation. The regulations are set for review within two years.
Geoff Allardice, ICC Chief Executive, emphasized that the changes to the gender eligibility regulations are based on science and aligned with the core principles developed during the review. He highlighted the importance of inclusivity in cricket but stressed that the priority was to protect the integrity of the international women’s game and player safety.
Additionally, the Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) endorsed a plan to accelerate the development of female match officials. This includes equalizing match day pay for ICC umpires across men’s and women’s cricket and ensuring one neutral umpire in every ICC Women’s Championship series starting January 2024. Furthermore, the CEC agreed to introduce a stop clock on a trial basis in men’s ODI and T20I cricket from December 2023 to April 2024. This clock will regulate the time taken between overs, imposing a 5-run penalty if the bowling team is not ready to bowl the next over within 60 seconds for the third time in an innings. Changes to pitch and outfield monitoring regulations were also approved, simplifying the criteria for pitch assessment and increasing the threshold for removing a venue’s international status from five to six demerit points over five years.