Sri Lankan board lays off 39 officials

In a bid to control costs and streamline its administration, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) has terminated the services of three international umpires and 36 coaches. Thilanga Sumathipala, who was recently elected president of the board, is clearly in a hurry to professionalise it.

"We could not go on like this," said Sumathipala to news agency Associated Press. "I can assure you that the BCCSL will not be an inefficient place any more."

The three umpires to lose their jobs, Peter Manuel, TH Wijewardena and Gamini Silva, have all officiated in Test matches, and were employed by the BCCSL to help train other umpires. While that assignment is effectively over, they remain eligible to stand as umpires in all forms of cricket. Sumathipala said that following a review, the three might even be re-employed.

Sumathipala is also planning a review of the services of the 36 coaches, and a decision on re-employing them will be taken within a month.

Sumathipala had defeated Arjuna Ranatunga in last month's elections by a margin of 121-7. A significant item on his agenda was to bring the BCCSL back to financial health. They lost Rs 288 million (US$3 million) last year, as revenue from ticket sales and merchandising fell short of expectations. He has made an emphatic start towards turning it around.