Local cricketers’ salaries to be increased

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According to the Sports Minister Harin Fernando, the salaries of Club cricketers are expected to be increased by Sri Lanka Cricket from this month.

The Minister, who is currently visiting Pakistan with Sri Lanka National team, revealed to the media yesterday that the match fees for the local players are to be doubled according to a decision taken by SLC.

Currently, a local player is paid Rs. 7500 per day for First Class and List A games and Rs. 5000 per T20 match. If a club player plays the full domestic season in all 3 formats in Sri Lanka, (Minimum of 6 three-day first-class matches, 4 four-day first class matches, 5 One-day matches and 5 T20 matches) he is bound to earn around Rs. 300,000-320,000 per season.

“We need to do this to protect Sri Lanka Cricket’s future. Though only 11 players are required to form a team, around 200 players from the country are needed to play the game to find the best talent. We have to treat them better” Sports Minister said.

He also added, “Sri Lanka is one of the countries which pays the lowest salaries for the players and it is the main reason why players tend to find opportunities in countries like England and Australia. I’m happy that Sri Lanka Cricket took this directive.”

Because of the pay and many other reasons, annually around close to 200 local players leave the country to play in England and Australia. This is one of the biggest problems which Sri Lanka Cricket faces at the moment. The talent pool is being diluted rapidly in the domestic arena and the quality of the graduates from the system to international stage is proportionate to the quality of the talent pool.

According to a club official who wishes to remain anonymous the players prefer an annual contract along with a proportion of match fees rather than just getting paid per match.

The Minister also addressed the issue on the Sri Lanka Premier League, mentioning, “The league has been postponed because of the corruption allegations Sri Lanka Cricket faced in recent months. I have informed SLC to take the initiative on this matter. Few companies from around the world have requested from SLC to start a franchise league and SLC will look into this matter within the next year”

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