The Sri Lanka players' contracts issue

A timeline of the Sri Lanka players' run-in with Sri Lanka Cricket over their contracts

2003
SLC agrees to share a percentage of ICC event fees with players.

2010-11
SLC runs up debts of almost $70 million as it constructs stadiums for the 2011 World Cup.

Feb-Sept 2011
Crippled by debt, SLC is unable to pay cricketers salaries for eight months.

March 2012
Players refuse to sign fresh contracts due to a number of contentious clauses.

July 2012
The issues are resolved, and the players sign.

March 2013
SLC strike the players' share (25%) of the ICC events fees from the new contracts, which the players refuse to sign. After a 24-hour lockout, chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya mediates negotiations and gets the players to sign on the understanding that the players' share of the ICC event fees may be reintroduced in future years.

January 24, 2014
Players give Jayasuriya a letter demanding 20% of the gross sum paid by the ICC to SLC for global events. Jayasuriya conveys this to the board, which is drawing up the new national contracts.

February 27
The contracts list is announced and the contracts are sent to the players in Bangladesh. Upon noting that SLC has not reintroduced any clause that would give the players a cut of the ICC events payment, the players refuse to sign the contracts.

March 12
The players meet with SLC to negotiate. The board promises to take the players' concerns back to the executive committee.

March 13
The executive committee proposes an incentive-driven payment system for global events, as a partial sop to player demands.

March 14-15
The players maintain their refusal to sign contracts, insisting on a percentage cut from the ICC payment.

March 16
The players leave for the World T20, although the contracts remain unsigned.

April 8-12
The team returns victorious from the World T20, and is offered $1.5 million as participation fee and winning bonus.

April 12-20
Further negotiations take place and SLC offer a 6% cut of the ICC participation fee for future tournaments, but the players hold out.

April 22
Players escalate the issue by refusing to wear official SLC training gear to practice. On the same day SLC offers a 10% cut of the ICC fee.

April 23
The players agree to sign contracts, locking in the 10% payment for both ICC and ACC tournaments for five years.