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by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) interim committee decided to get tough with its players and were preparing to take them to courts today if they don't agree to sign the Players Contract for the World Cup tournament to be held in South Africa next month.

BCCSL interim committee chairman Hemaka Amarasuriya said yesterday that he had so far had no response from the players nor the Sri Lanka Cricketers Association who are negotiating on behalf of the players.

Amarasuriya said that his committee had been very fair and patient with the players by offering them 10 to 12 percent of the guarantee fee they will receive from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the World Cup. However he stated that the players have been very adamant and were sticking to a 20 percent demand.

"We cannot pay them what they demand because the money were receive has to be utilised for the development of the game for the next four years. I hope saner counsel will prevail and that they agree to the terms we have put to them," said Amarasuriya.

He said that he had been trying to reach the captain Sanath Jayasuriya throughout yesterday and found that he was not taking any calls.

"If they are not responding we will have to do it the hard way by litigation," said Amarasuriya.

According to the BCCSL chairman, the players are binded by their contracts with the BCCSL and have to abide by whatever decision the Cricket Board takes.

Amarasuriya said that he would prefer to deal directly with the captain on these matters rather than through the Cricketers Association whom he accused of misleading the players by distorting the facts and, being ignorant of certain procedures connected with how other countries are paying their players.

Amarasuriya said the Sri Lanka cricketers had cited that the Australian Cricket Board were paying their players 25 percent of the World Cup guarantee money without being aware of how the money is being distributed. He said that he had proof that the 25 percent was being shared by 25 contracted national players and 120 other contracted state players.

"This would mean that an Australian cricketer will get approx. US$ 569,250 if his country goes as far as the final," he said.

He said the New Zealand and South African cricket boards were also operating more or less on the same lines.

"I have been very supportive of the cricketers till yesterday. I am very disappointed with their attitude. I never gave serious thought when people came up to me and said that the cricketers were playing for money. But now I have my doubts," said Amarasuriya.

He said that the ICC have been apprised of the stand taken by the BCCSL. The ICC deadline for player contracts to be signed was January 14. 

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