ENG vs SL: Sri Lanka cricketers agree to tour England without contracts

Recently, 38 Sri Lanka cricketers had signed a statement refusing to sign the tour contracts and it is an increase from 24 players who had previously made their resistance to the new scheme.

Sri Lanka cricketers (Source: Twitter)

Sri Lanka cricketers have agreed to tour England without contracts after the country's cricket board agreed to bring transparency to players' evaluation that eventually decides categories of contract.

Sri Lanka cricketers had been complaining that the methodology used for calculating contracts was not transparent.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, performance and fitness are the two key criteria that form 70 percent of a player's overall mark as per the new proposed scheme. And 10 percent each for leadership, professionalism, and future potential/adaptability.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), however, said it will reveal the details of how it evaluates players and issues them contracts.

"This is the transparency the players had been requesting from the outset. They will play this tour without signing any contract. They have signed a voluntary declaration, but there is nothing there about player remuneration. They have always been committed to playing for Sri Lanka," Nishan Premathiratne, players' lawyer, was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.com.

Earlier, 38 Sri Lanka cricketers had signed a statement refusing to sign the tour contracts and it is an increase from 24 players who had previously made their resistance to the new scheme.

However, with the issue sorted now, the team will depart for England on June 9 as per schedule.

Sri Lanka are scheduled to play the first of the three T20Is against England June 23. The three-match ODI series will begin on June 29. Besides, they are to play two tour matches, against Kent and Sussex.