Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella are reportedly the highest-paid Sri Lanka national cricketers, according to their newest annual central contracts with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that are to be finalised under present Administrative Committee, headed by Prof. Arjuna de Silva, which is looking after national cricket affairs until Thursday’s (20 May) SLC Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Yet three prominent Fernandos –fast-bowlers Asitha Fernando and Nuwan Pradeep Fernando and white-ball batsman Avishka Fernando—have all been omitted from the annual contracts, which are reportedly include at least 24 leading players.
Significant (36%) pay cut
The new central contracts to the national Test and limited-over squads are 35% less this time, as we report on Wednesday (12). Despite a significant pay cut, the cricketers have in principle agreed to the newly-introduced performance-based contract structure, it is reported.
Sri Lanka is ranked currently 8th in Tests, 9th in ODIs, and 8th in T20Is, the lowest it has fallen to in the last two decades.
The new contracts are to be signed before the Lankan ODI team, under its newly-appointed Captain Kusal Janith Perera, tour Bangladesh shortly. The three-match ODI series between the two countries is to begin on 23 May. The three matches are to be held on 23 (Sunday), 25 (Tuesday), and 28 (Friday) May at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka following health guidelines under closed doors.
Leaving for Bangladesh
It was reported earlier that Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne and his team had appointed Attorney-at-Law Nishan Sydney Premathiratne to hold discussions with SLC and negotiated matters pertaining to the contracts.
The players were expected to sign their agreements soon before heading to Bangladesh for the three-match ODI series. Sri Lanka ODI squad had already entered into their bio-security bubble last week and is expected to leave for Dhaka today (16). They are to play their only warm-up one-day game on Friday (21) at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan in Savar.