Transformation Committee says door remains open as talks continue over 2027 Women’s T20 Champions Trophy
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has yet to formally notify Sri Lanka that it has lost the hosting rights for the inaugural Women’s T20 Champions Trophy in 2027, despite growing reports that the six-team tournament is being shifted to another country.
Transformation Committee Secretary Prakash Schaffter said on Monday that the ICC had informed the committee some two and a half months ago that it was exploring alternative venues for the competition, but had not subsequently delivered a definitive decision to remove Sri Lanka as host.
Speaking at the Transformation Committee’s monthly media briefing at Maitland Place, Schaffter said the reference to alternative venues was certainly a concern, but insisted that discussions with the ICC were continuing.
“The fact that they are considering alternative venues seems to indicate that they are looking at moving it out of Sri Lanka. But they have not categorically told us that the tournament is being moved,” Schaffter said.
He added that the committee remained engaged with the ICC and would continue its efforts to convince the world governing body to retain Sri Lanka as the host nation.
Reports over the weekend that the tournament had already been relocated dominated Monday’s briefing. The competition, which was originally scheduled to be staged in Sri Lanka from February 14 to 28 next year, is expected to bring together six leading teams.
Schaffter acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s ongoing cricket governance crisis could be a factor behind the uncertainty over the hosting rights, although the ICC had not explicitly cited governance as the reason for considering a change of venue.
Sri Lanka Cricket has been under the control of the NPP-appointed Transformation Committee since early May, with the committee tasked with introducing sweeping reforms to the administration, constitution and governance structure of the national cricket body.
The ICC has also prevented representatives of the current Sri Lankan administration from participating in its board meetings since the Transformation Committee took office, while repeatedly calling for the restoration of an elected administration.
Schaffter said the committee believed it still had an opportunity to demonstrate meaningful progress to the ICC within the next two months.
“We believe that over the next 60 days or so, we can demonstrate the steps we are taking to return the organisation to normalcy,” he said.
He also expressed hope that no alternative host had yet been formally selected.
“I say this because I believe that no other venue has been agreed upon as yet,” Schaffter said.
Beyond the prestige of staging the inaugural tournament, he stressed that hosting the event would provide Sri Lanka with a significant economic boost through international tourism and related activities.
However, the issue could extend beyond hosting rights and potentially affect Sri Lanka’s own participation in the tournament.
Sri Lanka are currently ranked seventh in the ICC Women’s T20 rankings. If the tournament format remains based on the top five ranked teams plus the host nation, Sri Lanka could potentially lose an automatic place should another country ranked outside the top six be selected as host.
Schaffter admitted that the committee was still awaiting clarity on the exact qualification implications.
“I am not aware of the details of the implications at this point in time,” he said, while expressing confidence in the national women’s team.
“Our Women’s team has certainly been faring well in the recent past, and I am hopeful that their continued good performance would enable them to qualify.”
Transformation Committee Chairman and former Finance Minister Eran Wickramaratne backed Schaffter’s position, stressing that the committee was determined to address the structural problems within Sri Lankan cricket rather than merely make temporary changes.
Using an analogy, Wickramaratne said the committee would not attempt to construct another floor on an unstable foundation.
“If the foundation is shaky, we are not backing out. We are going to build the foundation,” he said, underlining the committee’s determination to pursue fundamental reforms.
Former Sri Lanka captain and Transformation Committee member Kumar Sangakkara also stressed that the ultimate objective was to restore an elected Executive Committee to run Sri Lanka Cricket.
However, Sangakkara acknowledged that achieving that objective would take time because of the legal and procedural steps involved.
The committee, he said, remained in regular dialogue with the ICC as it worked towards restoring an elected and legally compliant administration.
For now, Sri Lanka’s Champions Trophy status remains in limbo. With the ICC yet to make a formal announcement, the Transformation Committee hopes that progress on governance reforms over the coming weeks could persuade the world body to keep the historic tournament in the country.
Be the first to comment