BCCSL To Be Compensated For World Cup (30 May 1996)

30 May 1996

BCCSL to be compensated

BY SA`ADI THAWFEEQ

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board will be compensated by its Indian and Pakistani counterparts for the losses they suffered by Australia and West Indies not playing their Wills World Cup cricket matches in Colombo in February.

It is learnt that the World Cup organising committee, PILCOM (Pakistan-India-Lanka Committee) has withheld the guarantee money due to both Australia and West Indies until Sri Lanka are compensated for their losses.

Each of the 12 countries that participated in cricket`s sixth edition of the World Cup will receive 250,000 pounds sterling.

PILCOM, it is understood is keen to pay off Sri Lanka as early as possible, but what is delaying the process is that the Sri Lanka Cricket Board is unable to submit the accounts for various reasons.

One of them is, its former treasurer is indisposed in Singapore and another is, that there are so many items unaccounted for which is holding up the finalisation of accounts.

The Cricket Board has appointed a committee headed by its president Upali Dharmadasa and comprising vice-president Thilanga Sumathipala, treasurer Kumar Weerasooriya, World Cup coordinator M. Rajasingham to probe into the financial dealings during the World Cup.

Both India and Pakistan shared the profits accrued from the World Cup which amounted to US$ 86 million.

According to Cricket Board sources, Sri Lanka`s losses from the World Cup is expected to run in excess of what the Indian Board paid to each of its 17 districts. The Indian Cricket Board gave its districts US$ 2 million each.

Sri Lanka hosted four of the 37 World Cup matches and suffered heavy losses especially when Australia and West Indies refused to play their respective matches in Colombo, fearing for the safety of their players following the Central Bank bomb blast.

The two countries eventually gave Sri Lanka a walk-over which resulted in a heavy loss to the Sri Lanka Cricket Board by way of sale of tickets and putting up the infrastructure to the venues that were conducting the matches.

Tickets for the matches against Australia and West Indies priced between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 500 were virtually sold out weeks before the scheduled date. The Sri Lanka Cricket Board eventually had to reimburse the money to the public when Australia and West Indies failed to fulfil their commitment.

Only Zimbabwe and Kenya played their matches as scheduled in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka went on to win the World Cup defeating Australia in the final at Lahore.

Source :: Daily News (http.//www.lanka.net)