Sri Lanka Cricket will not benefit from being tough - BCCI
April 20, 2011 11:31 am
The BCCI has politely conveyed to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) that asking its players to return midway through the Indian Premier League would have dire consequences for the latter.
A top official of the BCCI rubbished reports that the two boards would be
meeting to take a decision on the issue of Sri Lankan cricketers featuring in
the IPL heading back home by May 5 to take part in a preparatory camp for the
tour of England.
As it turns out, the top echelons of the BCCI held a telephonic conversation
with their SLC counterparts two days ago during when the former conveyed their
stand, quietly and firmly, that they wanted the players from Pearl Island to
stay back and play in the IPL at least till May 15.
According to the BCCI official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the SLC
was reminded of the many instances in the past when the Indian board had stood
by them during a crisis and how the SLC had benefited financially through the
Indian teams’ visits, often outside the Future Tours Programme, apart from
being involved in the IPL itself.
Just to make sure the message was not lost, the BCCI categorically told SLC
that if the latter stuck to its demand, the participation of Sri Lankan players
in the IPL in future would be in doubt and certainly there wouldn’t be any team
from the island nation in the Champions League.
“The BCCI requested the SLC that it convey to its government the many help that
we have done to them in the past and not to recall the players when the
tournament is in full swing,” the BCCI official said.
Meanwhile, Tillakaratne Dilshan was named the captain of the Sri Lankan team
for the upcoming tour of England on Monday.
The 34-year-old succeeds Kumar Sangakkara who stepped down after Sri Lanka’s
loss to India in the World Cup final on April 2, NDTV reports.
