Cricket

Sri Lanka in contracts dispute before India visit

A contract dispute between Sri Lanka Cricket and its players has emerged and heightened just weeks before India are due to tour there.

Sri Lanka players, who returned home from Karachi on Wednesday after winning the Asia Cup, have not been paid since February and have requested an emergency board meeting this week.

Senior cricketers agreed to a freeze in their central contract fees this year, but demanded junior members of the national squad and the A team get substantial wage increases. Last year, junior players received $15,000 a year as a retainer, the lowest annual contract fees of all Test playing nations.

The board, headed by World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga, have been accused of dragging their feet during discussions with the Sri Lanka Cricketer’s Association. Ranatunga has refused any increment on match fees, believed to be the lowest among Test nations, proposing instead that players be fined if they lose a Test match.

There is no immediate threat to the ensuing tour however, but things could get interesting if the issue isn’t resolved quickly enough.

Tags: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka Cricket