17 players agree to sign new SLC contracts ahead of Zim tour

Sri Lanka Cricket announced yesterday that 17 players had agreed to sign revised national contracts, which the governing body says have been drafted to enable players to adequately benefit from their performances.  

The consenting players are Angelo Mathews, Rangana Herath, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunarathna, Kusal Janith Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Thirimanna, Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva, Dhanajaya de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Jeffery Vandersay and Lakshan Sandakan.

The new performance-based contracts offered by the SLC will carry a substantial cut in players’ annual contract fees but will include win bonuses and individual performance bonuses. As a result of an impasse between the players and the cricketing officials over new terms, the SLC set 20 October as the deadline for the signing of the contracts ahead of the tour of Zimbabwe.

The SLC’s move to implement new payment structures reportedly stemmed from the fact that a large portion of its income was spent paying the salaries of 16 players from the national squad.

Under the new contracts players in the top category will receive reduced annual contract fees of $ 125,000. A category 2 player will receive $ 80,000 with category 3 players earning $ 60,000. A category 4 player will collect an annual fee of $ 40,000 while category 5 players will earn $ 20,000.

Match fees too have been changed significantly with players slated to receive $ 5,000 per Test match with a win bonus of $ 5,000. Five-wicket hauls and centuries in Test games will be rewarded with an additional $ 5,000 bonus. The ODI and T20I match fees will remain unchanged.

The Sri Lankan team will head to Zimbabwe for a two-match Test series starting on 29 October followed by a Tri-Series which will feature the West Indies.