Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) new project of constructing a 40,000-capacity stadium in Colombo has been suspended.
Several former cricketers including former captain Mahela Jayawardene and former ICC match-referee Roshan Mahanama were against the stadium proposal.
Jayawardene and Mahanama, along with Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga and Sanath Jayasuriya, were all present at a high-level government meeting on Thursday, before the decision to suspend the stadium's construction was announced, ESPNcricinfo reported.
Earlier, SLC CEO Ashley de Silva had said that they are looking at it very positively.
"Discussions are going on about the stadium at a high level about the ground in Colombo, which the board's executive has been made aware of. We are looking at it very positively for now and we have got the process started. The details will have to be worked out," De Silva had said.
"We are making bids for World Cups. You would need five stadiums in order to host a big event of that nature. Tournaments like this bring money into the country," he had added.
SLC had confirmed that the government promised to allocate 26 acres of land in the east of the city, in Homagama.
( With inputs from ANI )
