Suriname pull out of WCL Division 5

Suriname have withdrawn from the World Cricket League Division 5 in Jersey, following an investigation conducted by the ICC regarding the eligibility of some players. The team had originally qualified for the tournament after winning the WCL Division 6, held in England last September.

The investigation uncovered failures in the Surinaamse Cricket Bond's (SCB) processes relating to player residency documentation for the purposes of compliance with the ICC's Player Eligibility Regulations. Vanuatu, who lost in the semi-finals of the WCL Division 6 in 2015, have been invited to take Suriname's place in Division 5.

Once disciplinary charges were initiated against the SCB, the board cooperated fully with the ICC's investigations and carried out a thorough internal review. The SCB also agreed to forfeit the $25000 grant it received to participate in the WCL Division 5.

"We were obviously disappointed by the shortcomings in the SCB's procedures that were revealed by our investigation," Tim Anderson, the ICC's head of global development, said.

"There is inevitably an element of self-certification when it comes to determining compliance with the Player Eligibility Regulations, and for this reason the wider cricketing community needs to be able to place the utmost trust in the accuracy of information submitted by other ICC members.

"We are, however, heartened by the action the SCB have taken in confronting the issues raised and look forward to working closely with them to ensure they can resume their participation in ICC competitions in 2017."

Last year, in July, Suriname were also forced to pull out of the ICC Americas Under-19 Championship after failing to secure transit visas.