Sri Lanka to abandon test tour of England for IPL

[smssia0112]

http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/srilanka/content/story/373295.html
http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/england/content/current/story/373595.html

The Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association (SLCA) and sports minister Gamini Lokuge have finalised a proposal that could bring in $70 million for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) over the next 10 years but will seriously undermine Sri Lanka's Test tour of England. The proposal, which will be presented to the BCCI, will require the full participation of SLC within the IPL and its sister tournament, the Champions League, for the next decade. The proposed deal follows the recent decision by Lokuge that the Sri Lankan players contracted to the IPL will be released from the tour of England following the cancellation of Zimbabwe's tour to England.
SLC officials admitted it would be impossible to hold the the two-Test series in England. "The series is definitely off since it has not yet been ratified by the ECB and still remains subject to its approval. So, there is absolutely no chance they are now going to sanction the series against a virtual Sri Lanka A side," a board official said.

David Morgan, the ICC president, has said the US$70 million proposal between Sri Lanka Cricket and IPL chairman Lalit Modi is "quite unacceptable behaviour against the background of Sri Lanka's signed agreement with the ECB".
The Sunday Telegraph has quoted Morgan condemning the deal, which, if ratified by the BCCI, would force the abandonment of Sri Lanka's Test series in England in May 2009. According to the report, Morgan pointed out that only last month the ICC reaffirmed the primacy of Test cricket with the unanimous agreement of all Full Members.

Historical moment from Morgan, probably the first time that anyone from the ICC has actually taken a stand against something to do with the BCCI.


Certainly the Twenty20/IPL risk to test cricket is alive and serious now.

 

[khalek]

Didnt expect this from SLC, the players have gone crazy over IPL and money that they dont want to represent their respective countries...

 

[Animator!]

I think it'll be a bit of an embaressment to see a team actually pull out of a tour so they can play a handful of games in the IPL competition.

 

[SaiSrini]

Just shoot the BCCI man! These guys are flexing their muscles too much, and are creating problems in world cricket. This is ridiculous, making SL abandon a test tour for an IPL tournament.

 

[aussie_ben91]

Ajanta Mendis obviously doesn't want to get hit out of England by Kevin Pietersen similar to the way that KP smacked Muralitharan out of England the last time they two played.

 

[Skater]

Bad news, we really don't want the Cardiff test to be our first one at home.

 

[Sureshot]

If they signed an agreement with the ECB, then go and sign one with the BCCI, they should have their test status revoked. I'm fed up with the BCCI and these Indian T20 leagues. There will be a world split in the next 10 years if we're not careful.

 

[KBC]

SLC are maybe in need of money, maybe to stabilize the Board at least. So, looking in that direction, they needed to take that decision. But, it's completely un-fair that SLC are avoiding England tour. IPL should sign more talent from SL if they need something like Team B from SL to replace Main squad of Sri lankan IPL players who will play for international tours. Anyhow, IPL's spreading much more than the biggest forest fire does, ....Bring in talent. As i said in the brief topic i made earlier about IPL, If teams and player limits are expanded, then there's lot more to do with the equalization of the unbalanced views and complex, confused minds and signing of tours. etc;........

 

[WORLD CHAMPIONS]

BCCI is ruining International Cricket

 

[smssia0112]

If they signed an agreement with the ECB, then go and sign one with the BCCI, they should have their test status revoked. I'm fed up with the BCCI and these Indian T20 leagues. There will be a world split in the next 10 years if we're not careful.

That would be the brave and right thing to do. England needs to kick up a fuss here, a stand needs to be taken before this gets too out of hand and it does actually force a real split.

 

[RoboRocks]

This is quite disgraceful in my opinion. Players should always choose their country over personal benifits and this can only change the thought of what young cricketers in Sri Lanka think about test cricket and that playing Twenty20 leagues in India is better than representing your country in a test match.

 

[sohum]

Two points here that seem to be overlooked:

1) The board official claimed, "The series is definitely off since it has not yet been ratified by the ECB and still remains subject to its approval." So the series was never really "on".

2) During the last tour of Sri Lanka by India, I heard on commentary that Sri Lankan cricketers hadn't been paid in about 6 months. While representing your country should be your primary intent, feeding your family is not as small a priority as people make it out to be.

Apart from those two points, I agree that this sets a dangerous precedent. If indeed the series had been essentially planned, then someone definitely needs to be punished.

 

[Will_NA]

This series arrangement was a last minute thing anyway. The players were contracted to the IPL before they were asked to replace Zimbabwe against England.

 

[Leicester Fox]

This isn't really a shock though, it was always likely to end up basically an A side. I don't see why we didn't just approach Bangladesh, worked fine last ashes summer.

 

[Sureshot]

Yet the ECB official claimed they had signed an agreement.

I think the England players wouldn't mind the break, we only get back from the West Indies in about mid-late April.

Yes, I've heard that the SLCB are in big financial problems. So why do they do this, instead of perhaps asking for the ICC and other member countries for a loan? Instead of going behind the ICC's back and making a financial deal with the BCCI. SLCB and the BCCI have done a major wrong here and I am very concerned at the matter.