Sri Lankans may get pay cut

Sri Lanka's cricketers, under fire for a string of below-par performances, are facing a 30% pay cut as the authorities attempt to raise the dipping standards by introducing performance incentives.

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) has said that it was slashing the fixed contract fees as part of the shake-up. Sri Lanka has been on a downswing recently. They did reach the semi-finals of the World Cup earlier this year, but after that, they have failed to reach the final of a four-nation tournament in Sharjah and a tri-series at home.

The board has reduced the number of contracted players to 12 from the previous year's 15. They have also decided to cut 30% from the match fee of US$1,750 per Test and US$ 1,250 per one-day international.

However, the fees will be increased by 50% for a win against one of the top four ranked sides and 25% for a win against teams placed fifth to eighth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) world rankings. The players are also entitled to an additional US$500 for each win.

The cuts reflect the tightening financial situation of the cricket board, which announced a US$2.7 million loss for 2002.

The contracted players 1 Hashan Tillekeratne, 2 Marvan Atapattu, 3 Sanath Jayasuriya, 4 Muttiah Muralitharan, 5 Chaminda Vaas, 6 Mahela Jayawardena, 7 Kumar Sangakkara, 8 Russel Arnold, 9 Dilhara Fernando, 10 Kumar Dharmasena, 11 Prabath Nissanka, 12 Thilan Samaraweera.