Once world-beaters, Sri Lanka cricket has been in the doldrums for the last few years. The team isn’t as strong as it used to be a decade back, and the issue between the players and the board seem to be making matters worse for the Asian giants. Now another controversy has erupted prior to the series against India.
As many as five cricketers have refused to sign the contract for the series against India. Lasith Embuldeniya, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, and Kasun Rajitha, were offered tour contracts, but all of them denied. As per SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, all the players were supposed to sign the contract and enter the bio-bubble.
“Until the national contract issue is resolved they were asked to sign the tour contract if they are going to be available for the Indian series so that they can go into a bubble as we are investing in them. But they were reluctant to sign the tour contract and therefore they were left out of the residential camps. They did not join the bubble in Dambulla or Colombo,” said Ashley de Silva.
But the doors on these players have not been shut. They will have the opportunity to sign the contract until the training begins.
The doors for the series haven’t been closed for the players yet. The players have the opportunity to sign the contract until the training. “These five were offered a tour contract. That is when you participate, they will also be considered for national selection for the Indian tour. For the Indian tour, you need to have a tour contract, which they didn’t sign as they are part of the 24 players offered national contracts. If they sign the tour agreement before the commencement of training for the Indian tour the selectors will consider them,” concluded De Silva.
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