COLOMBO, Dec 12, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's sports minister revoked on Tuesday the sacking of the country's cricket board over allegations of corruption, in an effort to end its suspension by the International Cricket Council.

"I signed a gazette to revoke the decision appointing an interim committee for Sri Lanka Cricket, aiming to lift our ICC suspension," Harin Fernando said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Fernando said he had also asked the ICC for its "observations" on an audit report into alleged corruption by the board during the T20 World Cup last year in Australia.

Fernando's predecessor Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the elected board in November and appointed an interim panel headed by Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka's 1996 World Cup-winning skipper.

The ICC suspended Sri Lanka as a result, saying the board had failed to prevent political interference in the administration of the game.

The controversy over corruption in the board, the richest sporting body in the otherwise bankrupt nation, led to the sacking of Ranasinghe late last month.