Sri Lanka will host an international cricket conference in July

The announcement comes days after the world governing body lifted the ban on Sri Lanka Cricket with immediate effect.

Colombo: Sri Lanka will host the annual general meeting of the International Cricket Conference in July, Sports Minister Harin Fernando said on Thursday.

The announcement comes days after the world governing body lifted the ban on Sri Lanka Cricket with immediate effect.

The suspension cost Sri Lanka the chance to host the Under-19 World Cup currently taking place in South Africa.

“Sri Lanka will host the ICC AGM in Colombo from July 19 to 22. This will be a big boost for Sri Lanka when it comes to cricket and tourism,” Fernando, who is also Minister of State for Tourism, said in a statement.

The SLC was suspended in November for failing to fulfill the obligations of ICC members, specifically its failure to manage its affairs independently and prevent government interference in the governance, regulation and administration of cricket in Sri Lanka.

Afterwards, Roshan Ranasinghe, Fernando's predecessor, took action by appointing an interim committee, alleging corruption within the current government led by Shammi Silva at SLC.

Citing audit queries on SLC accounts from the national audit, Ranasinghe appointed an interim committee headed by former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga.

The ICC called Ranasinghe's action to appoint an interim political committee a serious violation of the ICC's governance rules.

The ICC lifted the suspension on Sunday after Fernando took action in December to annul the gazette notice issued by Ranasinghe.