Highlight
The Sri Lankan players’ pay fight with the board hurt the moral team
SLC has cut fees by up to 40 percent for 24 national players
A player lawyer accused SLC of the “gunpoint” holding squad
Skipper Kusal Perera said that a paid match between Sri Lankan players and the national board had hurt the morale team in advance of the one-day series in Bangladesh starting Sunday.
Skipper Kusal Perera said a pay battle between Sri Lankan players and a national board hurt the morality of the team ahead of a one-day race in Bangladesh beginning Sunday. Sri Lanka Cricket has cut fees by up to 40% in new contracts that the players have refused for 24 national players. Perera said no agreement was reached before they left for Bangladesh to play 350 games. “It’s going to be a lie to say that the pay drop problem won’t affect our players emotionally,” Perera said on Saturday.
“I hope that, on our return, we will negotiate with the Board.”
He said that the pay structure designed by the new Director of Cricket Tom Moody and former Sri Lankan skipper Aravinda de Silva caused the team mental stress.
“This is another challenge for me as I try to build an atmosphere in which players go to the centre and act fearlessly,” he said.
A players’ lawyer accused Sri Lanka Cricket of keeping the team “on the gun” to force new contracts.
The tour of Bangladesh was dropped by former captain Angelo Mathews and test captain Dimuth Karunaratne who has had the greatest cuts.
The annual fee for Mathews dropped from $130,000 per annum to $80,000 and for Karunaratne it fell to $70,000, down from $30,000.
“Players should not agree to sign unjust and non-transparent agreements and advise Sri Lanka Cricket not to keep its players in the gun,” said attorney Nishan Premathiratne.
Sri Lanka Cricket said that players will earn more from a new pay system based on results.
This week, Moody said he reviewed pay systems in other countries before he came up with the scheme.
Officials from Sri Lanka Cricket said there are payments for each match and travel allowances outside of Colombo in addition to the basic fees.
