Sri Lankan board closes in on television dispute settlement

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) is nearing a settlement with its former television partner WSG Nimbus, according to BCCSL sources. The deal will have WSG Nimbus being reinstated as the official broadcasting and sponsorship rights holder for England's tour of Sri Lanka.

The BCCSL is facing a massive US$11 million damages claim after a Singapore court ruled that the BCCSL - which was being run at the time by a government-appointed interim committee - had "unlawfully and illegally" cancelled a three-year broadcasting agreement with WSG Nimbus in 2001.

After a flurry of meetings with WSG Nimbus since winning office in June, a newly elected executive committee believes that its best option is to extricate itself from the subsequent agreement signed with the Dubai-based Taj Television group, which is due to run until 2004. The alternative is payment of the potentially crippling damages claim.

"We are confident that we will be able to waive off more than 50% of the US$11 million damages brought against us," said a top-level BCCSL source. After the England tour fresh bids would be called for another three-year period. WSG Nimbus would be given matching rights - meaning that they would be allowed to outbid any rival offer.

The deal, which the BCCSL hope will be finalised by next week, is likely precipitate legal action from Taj Television. But the BCCSL will claim that their contract is "null and void" because it was signed with an interim committee and not a properly elected cricket board.