'Start winning games for the country rather than complaining about contracts' : Aravinda de Silva

Sri Lanka cricket is in middle of a rough phase. Their performance as a team has been below par. Also, not is all well between Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) and the players. SLC recently slashed the contracts of the players by upto 40% which irked the Sri Lanka players and they refused to sign the new contract. Despite all the chaos, Sri Lanka were expected to perform well against Bangladesh. However, they were humbled by the 'Tigers' 2-1.

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Aravinda de Silva, chairman of the Cricket Committee, has said that the players should focus on winning rather than complaining about the contracts, adding that the new contract is much more beneficial for the players than the previous one.

"We discussed this matter in depth before we presented it to the players. Unlike in the past, we have increased the benefits three-fold than what it was but purely on the team's performance. If they win a Test series, we pay them USD 150,000 which was earlier limited to USD 50,000. It has to be a collective effort by the whole team," de Silva told Daily News, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.

"We also introduced a slab for the T20 format, which also runs up to a maximum of USD 50,000, which earlier didn't have any rewards at all. The most important fact is that they should get into the middle and play positive cricket and start winning games for the country rather than complaining. This positive approach will encourage us to consider offering them more benefits, like some of the other countries in our region. If the team creates value, their incentives will also go up," he added.

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Earlier, Sri Lanka players made their viewpoint clear that they will not accept the unfair and non-transparent contracts. However, the players revealed that by not signing the contracts they are not going on strike and will be available for selection.

"The players also believe that the provincial tournaments have been played on an ad hoc and on-and-off basis which is also a contributing factor. The players are not in agreement to sign unfair and non-transparent contracts and urge SLC to not hold the players at gunpoint," lawyer Nishan Sydney Premathiratne, representing top Sri Lanka players, had said in a statement.

"Unlike in other nations when disputes arise and result in players seeking other avenues by way of franchise cricket, the Sri Lankan players will continue to be readily available to play and be selected for Sri Lanka," it added.

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