India has been among the frontrunners to host the first ICC Women’s Champions Trophy after the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided to take the tournament out of Sri Lanka. The move is as Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration and governance is in a mess with the government appointed interim team, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is said to have no intention of accepting that.
The first Women’s Champions Trophy was supposed to be held in Sri Lanka next year. But according to reports, the ICC has now decided that the tournament will be moved to another venue. The final host is yet to be officially announced but India is now at the forefront of the race to stage the six-team global competition.
As Indian cricket authorities, this decision would come as no surprise as India has hosted many of the major international cricket tournaments and stadiums.
The ICC will discuss and finalise the replacement venue at a future board meeting, according to the documents. India is one of the best possibilities to host the competition until that decision is formally made.
Why was the tournament moved from Sri Lanka?
The reported venue change is closely linked to the governance situation at Sri Lanka Cricket. The current SLC administration is being directed by a government-appointed Transformation Committee who has been set up to guide the reforms of the cricket board and the changes to its constitution and governance structure.
The ICC has also objected to the politically appointed interim administration. International cricket's governing body has previously emphasized the need for an independent and elected cricket administration and has limited Sri Lanka Cricket's participation at the ICC Board meetings.
In July the ICC said its Board had received an update on Sri Lanka Cricket and progress towards a revised constitution had been made. The ICC also said elections were required as soon as possible and that SLC will not be involved in meetings of the ICC Board for the time being.
Sri Lanka's Transformation Committee is believed to have made a draft constitution and submitted it to the country's sports minister. But the proposed reforms have to go through the legal process before being presented to Parliament. Such an investigation will take time and Sri Lanka Cricket will never return to an elected administration recognised by the ICC.
India Emerges as Strong Replacement Venue
As the governance issue has been made to be an issue and Sri Lanka is not sure if it will be able to host the tournament in the future, India has emerged as the most likely candidate, given its strong cricket infrastructure, event management capabilities and stadium network at the top international level.
The country also has a huge following for women’s cricket, which is only growing with the popularity and commercial growth of women’s cricket. The first-ever Women’s Champions Trophy would give Indian cricket a chance to advertise women’s cricket and show the country’s facilities in the world to a very international audience.
But as of now, the ICC has not officially announced the replacement venue. Other places could also be considered before a final decision is made. The site arrangement and logistics and broadcasting arrangements will need to be assessed before the venue is determined.
Sri Lanka's Participation Could be Affected
The venue change will also have implications beyond Sri Lanka losing hosting rights. The country’s women’s team may also find it difficult to participate in the first tournament.
The competition will have six teams, with the host in the top five teams. Sri Lanka is currently ranked sixth in the rankings and so their automatic qualification is dependent on if they are still host.
If India replaces Sri Lanka as the host, the qualification structure could potentially mean that the Sri Lankan women's team misses out on the tournament unless it qualifies through the rankings or another route determined by the ICC.
This could be a significant setback for Sri Lankan women’s cricket. Hosting the first edition would have given the team the chance to participate in a major global competition on home soil and also boost the profile of women’s cricket in the country.
It seems that ICC has yet to take any final decision.
The final decision on the tournament venue is expected to be taken by the ICC Board. At that stage, any reports that India is the frontrunner might still require the approval of the ICC.
In India, however, the fact that the country has the ability to host the first Women’s Champions Trophy is a big deal. It would bring an international women’s cricket event to the country and Indian fans would get to see some of the world’s best women’s teams playing.
In these circumstances, the governance and independence of international cricket is really important. The ICC's concerns about Sri Lanka Cricket show how disputes between national cricket boards and the world governing body can have repercussions far beyond boardroom decisions and into hosting big games.
As the ICC prepares to consider the replacement venue, focus will be on India and its potential as host. And only then will Sri Lanka’s women’s team make it to the first competition.
If India is selected, the country will then host a historic first Women's Champions Trophy, which will establish another major platform for the growth and world exposure of women’s cricket.
