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by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday gave the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) interim committee enough muscle to handle the Players Contracts dispute by issuing out a warning to replace any cricketer who refuses to sign the contract before next month's World Cup in Africa.

Interim committee chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya said that ICC chairman Malcolm Gray had been in telephone contact with him on this issue and told him to replace any player who refuses to sign.

Amarasuriya said that the ICC were even prepared to accept a second string Sri Lanka team for the World Cup if the issue is not resolved.

Gray had in fact spoken personally to the Sri Lanka team in Melbourne and apprised them of the dire consequences they will face if they don't sign.

The Sri Lanka cricketers return home today from Australia and the BCCSL is expected to hold talks with the captain Sanath Jayasuriya later today.

Amarasuriya said that he would deal directly with the players rather than with protracted negotiators whom he accused of misleading the players. He was referring to Graeme Labrooy of the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association who was negotiating with the BCCSL on behalf of the players.

Amarasuriya said that initially the players had wanted a 20 percent slice from the World Cup money the BCCSL will be receiving from the ICC. But after the Cricket Board refused they came up with a suggestion of 10 percent plus performance bonus or 12 percent without performance bonus.

After the BCCSL said they would agree to either of the two, the players had again reverted back to the 20 percent.

If the players back out from signing the World Cup player contracts they will not only be replaced but are also liable to face disciplinary action for failing to fulfil their contracts with the BCCSL.

"I don't understand the logic behind all this. They are trying to squeeze the Board out of every cent. It is very unfortunate," said Amarasuriya.

He said that the money the Cricket Board will receive from the World Cup has to be utilised for the next four years for the development and infrastructure of the game. He said there were a few projects that need to be completed like a Cricket Academy (which according to Amarasuriya should have come up 10 years ago), the expansion of the Galle Stadium, floodlighting one other stadium, opening up rural training centres and providing gymnasiums to clubs.

The cricketers on their current performances alone don't deserve an increase of one single penny. They have lost ten of their last 13 one-day internationals played in South Africa and Australia and have failed to show the commitment and desire to win matches. A majority of their time in Australia would no doubt have been spent discussing the money percentages rather than planning out on how to beat the opposition.

By their poor performances they have let down the entire country and they should be ashamed of themselves of calling themselves the ambassadors of cricket.

The present situation gives the Cricket Board the opportunity to closely review and revise their contracts on the basis that they be paid a flat rate and given incentives based strictly on performance.

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