Lanka contract row: We do have concerns about deal, it has affected us, says skipper Perera
May 22, 2021
Dhaka [Bangladesh], May 22 : Sri Lanka skipper Kusal Perera is hoping to resolve the ongoing contract tussle between players and the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) but he admitted that the issue has "affected" the cricketers.
Sri Lanka cricketers have refused to sign new contracts offered by the apex body as they feel some players have been given unfair deals.
On Friday, a legal representative of top Lankan players issued a statement that claimed the new deal sees fees paid to specific cricketers in a one-sided manner.
According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Niroshan Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva have been given the most lucrative deals while veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been offered a contract worth $80,000 which is $50,000 less than his base salary from last year.
Also, Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne's annual fee fell from roughly $100,000 to $70,000.
"We do have concerns about the contracts. We can't say it's not affecting us - that would be a lie and everyone would know it's a lie. But I'm hoping we can talk to the cricket board and resolve this fairly," ESPNcricinfo quoted Perera as saying ahead of the first ODI against Bangladesh.
Perera said the team's focus remains on winning the ODI series against Bangladesh and the players will discuss the issue with the cricket board once they are back in Sri Lanka.
"With the contracts, we're going to come back to Sri Lanka and discuss with the board then. But before then we are just trying to think about how we will win this series," said Perera.
"What I'm trying to do is give the players confidence to go and do what they know how to do, because if they are fearful, they won't get the best out of their skills," he added.
According to FICA (Federation of International Cricketers' Association), the new remuneration intimated to Sri Lankan players is substantially lower (more than threefold lower) in comparison with other global cricketing nations.
However, SLC director of cricket Tom Moody has said the new deal went through a thorough review before being put on the table for the Lanka cricketers.
FICA also said that unlike in other global jurisdictions, players are provided with pension schemes in together jurisdictions, However, no such pension scheme has been set up in Sri Lanka.
