Minister at crucial discussions today

Chris DHAMBARAGE

Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee is set to enter a decisive stage today when they meet the Minister of Sports and Recreation Gamini Lokuge along with the players who have signed to play in next year's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

The second session of the high profile Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament will clash with Sri Lanka's tour to England next year and the Minister of Sports and Recreation Gamini Lokuge is expected to deliver the final verdict today.

The SLC initially granted permission for the players to participate in the Indian Premier League for a period of one year. The six week tournament will start on April 10 and will clash with the first Test match between England and Sri Lanka which is scheduled for May 8.

The Minister is confident that the issue could be sorted out in a favourable manner for both parties as the England tour as well as the IPL is of great importance for the cricketers. One of the resolutions the Minister would probably try to explore is by requesting the ECB to advance the dates of the tour at least by one week.

However with a busy international schedule including the International Cricket Council (ICC) men's and women's Twenty20 World Cup tournaments scheduled for June it is unlikely that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are in a position to reschedule the proposed tour. Another way in settling this issue is through shuffling players for the England tour with equal strength that will give some of the up and coming players to impress at the highest level.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Dilhara Fernando, Sanath Jayasuriya and Upul Tharanga are among those who have signed lucrative three year deals with the IPL franchises.

Earlier Sri Lanka accepted an invitation to tour England and play two Tests and three one day internationals after the ECB severed sporting relations with Zimbabwe because of the political unrest in the country. As a result the ECB moved quickly to fill the void for two Test matches and three one day internationals during April and May 2009.