The 2024 men’s Under-19 World Cup will now take place in South Africa instead of Sri Lanka, as decided by the ICC Board on Tuesday. The action, which the board decided upon unanimously, came about as a result of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) being temporarily suspended by the ICC because of significant government meddling in the board’s operations.
There won’t be any direct impact of the development on how cricket is played every day. According to information obtained by ESPNcricinfo, the ICC Board has decided that the ban will not affect cricket at any level, including bilateral and domestic series and competitions. The annual funding for the ICC would be under control until the suspension is removed.
After hearing from the SLC, the ICC confirmed in a media statement that the tournament will be moved to South Africa. “After hearing representation from SLC, the ICC Board decided that Sri Lanka can continue to compete internationally both in bilateral cricket and ICC events after being suspended recently for breaching its obligations as a Member in particular the requirement to manage its affairs autonomously and without government interference.”
The president of SLC, Shammi Silva, recently issued a warning, stating that the biennial event, which was originally set for January 2024, could have to be shifted outside unless the ICC was certain that the government of Sri Lanka was not interfering in board operations, which is against the ICC constitution. Over the past year, there has been tension between the SLC and Roshan Ranasinghe, the nation’s minister of sports. Ranasinghe has accused Silva and the SLC of meddling in cricket while Silva has accused him of corruption and poor administration inside the cricket board.
Additionally, Silva informed the ICC in November 2022 of government meddling, which compelled the ICC Board to request that Imran Khawaja, its deputy chairman, visit Sri Lanka in order to gather information.
A shortlist of four cities
Recently, South Africa has emerged as a favorite to host U-19 World Cup competitions. Both the men’s and women’s U-19 World Cups were held in the nation in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
The 16-team competition is probably going to take place during the same time frame that was initially set for January 13–February 4 in Sri Lanka. The locations for the 2024 event are probably Bloemfontein, Benoni, Kimberley, and Potchefstroom. It is believed that the ICC had a shortlist of backup locations, including South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, in case it needed to be shifted from Sri Lanka. However, as the ILT20 coincided with the World Cup, the UAE had to be disqualified.
Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland, and the United States of America are the five teams who have earned their places through regional qualification events. The top 11 Full Member sides from the 2022 edition have qualified directly. The 2024 edition will likewise follow a novel concept, featuring a brand-new “Super Sixes” part in the event’s second phase.
India leads all teams in the competition’s history with five titles, followed by Australia with three. England, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the West Indies have all won once each, with Pakistan winning twice. The competition currently conflicts for South African fans with the SA20 franchise competition, which takes place from January 10 to February 10.
