Sri Lanka agree to tour England in 2009

[four_or_six]

Tour hangs in balance:

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/360568.html

 

[duffer]

Tour hangs in balance:

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/360568.html

That's what I call player power.

 

[Richard]

Hmm, there's interesting.

You'd have thought SLC might have looked at this before plunging in and agreeing to the tour... but no.

 

[duffer]

Players who haven't been paid since February by the board would obviously be concerned about the board interrupting their big money IPL window. I don't understand how they couldn't have seen it coming?

 

[chaminda_00]

I doubt they probably didn't even consider it. All they probably considered was the money they got offerred from the ECB to take part in this series. Looks like it doesn't really matter who you have at the top, not much changes in the SLC. Seems like the Test will be cancelled and just a ODI series.

 

[Mahindinho]

What the hell is wrong with the SL cricket board?

Nothing we didn't know already, however.

Players not getting paid for months...senior players having to ask for a pay freeze so the money can go to younger and SL 'A' players...it's just a farce. Sometimes I swear that it's just a bunch of old and past it men reliving their former glories, trying desperately to play some political "who's got the biggest ****" contest.

 

[silentstriker]

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/360568.html

Players unhappy about missing the IPL.

 

[Richard]

And it was only a few posts above yours.

 

[Migara]

Special exceptions were made, IIRC. I don't see the same exceptions being made for suddenly-retiring Sri Lankans.

Guess what if Murali retires?

 

[Lostman]

Guess what if Murali retires?

Warne will unretire

 

[silentstriker]

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has decided to allow its cricketers to play in the IPL next season despite the fact that the league clashes with Sri Lanka's tour of England.

Well, if you can't pay your players since February, I suppose you can't blame them for trying to earn some money.

 

[Richard]

Absolutely ridiculous that I$C$C are giving US$300,000,000 to countries of no cricketing note while one of the few countries that keeps cricket's profile high cannot pay its players.

You'd have thought encouraging the existing culture in Sri Lanka to remain (and you'd think seeing your heroes not getting their salaries might be something of a put-off for young players) would be more important than trying to manufacture such a culture where it's highly debatable that such a thing is possible.

 

[silentstriker]

Absolutely ridiculous that I$C$C are giving US$300,000,000 to countries of no cricketing note while one of the few countries that keeps cricket's profile high cannot pay its players.

Agreed. West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka need financial assistance, and it's a shame that ICC has $300,000,000 to spend and its not using it to help the countries that actually have an interest in cricket, are top level competitors, and can do a lot more for cricket overall if it helps them reach a higher standard of competitiveness. Nothing raises the profile of the game like an exciting close-fought series.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Forget the second series... let everyone get match sharp with the counties and then we will be wetting ourselves ready for the Ashes after the IPL.

 

[Nishant]

Well, if you can't pay your players since February, I suppose you can't blame them for trying to earn some money.

Fair enough...but seriously, this is a poor advertisement to international cricket...i see it going dwn the drain and for once, its not cos of the lack of fans...it the lack of players that care. The IPL is the worst thing that has happened to cricket...i now find it hard to believe that any current cricketer in the international scene is passionate for his country. They are either money/fame-hungry or cant do anything else with thier lives but play cricket.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Forget the second series... let everyone get match sharp with the counties and then we will be wetting ourselves ready for the Ashes after the IPL.

Exactly my thoughts when Botham put forward the idea about playing "one of the developing nations...Kenya, Netherlands". He'd be the first to complain when we were 600-2, 550 ahead.

 

[stumpski]

Wouldn't Bangladesh have been the more obvious choice? Not the most demanding of opposition before an Ashes series admittedly, but perfect candidates for a 2-Test series - and they have to come sometime.

 

[GIMH]

They are coming in 2010 IIRC, which is set to be another packed year with the crims over for another 5 ODIs...

Anyway, this situation is a bit of a farce, why didn;t the Sri Lankan board think these things through before agreeing to it? And the ECB for that matter, who seem desperate to stop Pietersen, Flintoff et al from going to Indias

 

[stumpski]

I don't suppose they'd ever have agreed to it, but as soon as it became apparent that the Zimbabwe tour was under threat I felt that an extra Test against Australia would have attracted far more interest (and revenue) than two against anyone else.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, thought this myself a while ago, because our 6-0 could have stumped their 5-0