Reports | Sri Lanka players to tour England uncontracted

Sri Lanka’s tour of England is no longer in jeopardy as the players have reportedly agreed to travel to the United Kingdom without a contract. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), last month, announced a new contract scheme, which saw the board give 50% weightage to performance since 2019, 20% to player fitness, and 10% each to leadership, professionalism, and future potential and adaptability. However, unhappy with the proposal, the players had collectively refused to sign the contract.

Once the June 3 deadline to sign the contract passed, there were fears that the tour of England would be called off, but that is no longer the case as ESPNCricinfo has reported that the players have agreed to go to the UK uncontracted. It is believed, however, that the players, in return for touring uncontracted, have demanded SLC to reveal specifics about the player evaluations in the new contracts.

"This is the transparency the players had been requesting from the outset," the players' lawyer Nishan Premathiratne told ESPNcricinfo. 

"They will play this tour without signing any contract. They have signed a voluntary declaration, but there's nothing there about player remuneration. They have always been committed to playing for Sri Lanka."

At the same time, the board are said to have refused the players’ requests to only assess them through performance and fitness. At the moment, as revealed by ESPNCricinfo, “the proposed scheme also accords 10% each for leadership, professionalism, and future potential/adaptability.” What the future holds remains unclear, but the two parties are believed to have come to a temporary compromise, which will mean that Lanka’s tour of England will go ahead as planned. 

The Sri Lankan squad is expected to leave for the UK later today. England will host Sri Lanka for three T20Is and as many ODIs, and the tour will kick off on the 23rd of June.