Despite threats of sending a second-string team for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, national cricketers yesterday refused to sign their national contracts unless, SLC consider an increase to the proposed participation fee.
SLC offered a performance based incentive scheme and an increased participation fee after players demanded 20 percent of SLC income accrues through global events conducted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) but players weren’t satisfied with the offer.
Their demand was driven by the fact that SLC earned at least US$ 8.9 million as participation fee from ICC after players signed the Squad Term allowing ICC to use players’ images for commercial purposes during the tournament and believe they should be compensated accordingly.
On Thursday after a Emergency Executive Committee meeting, SLC offered US $ 500,000 for ICC World T20 and US $ 750,000 for the 2015 ICC World Cup to the players as participation fee and decided reward them generously based on their performance in the tournament.
But players weren’t happy with the offer and made a fresh offer on Friday requesting at least 12.5 percent of SLC’s revenue from global events. The players had also asked SLC to include it specifically in their annual contracts.
But SLC which had given in considerably after they completely scrapped the practice of paying a guarantee to players in 2013, refused to bow down any further.
This forced players with little option but to compete at the World T20 in Bangladesh without signing the contracts.
SLC had previously paid a guarantee fee of 25 percent for the players but removed the clause from the 2013 contracts notwithstanding strong opposition from the players.
SLC said they are not willing to negotiate any further as it had given the best they could offer for the players and believe players demand is unfair.
“We will not any further negotiations in this regard,” said SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga. “We will not stop them competing the World Cup since we have an agreement with the ICC but I believe what their demand is totally unfair.”
The players had an emergency meeting at R Premada Stadium today and decided to take wing to Bangladesh as scheduled tomorrow morning.
