By Leonard Ratnayake
Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket Shammi Silva is optimistic that the planned Lanka Premier League T20 cricket would be played as scheduled. “The tournament committee is working hard to get the necessary measures ready in place to stage the cricketing show as planned” Silva illustrated.
Just during the initial outbreak of the Covid19 in Sri Lanka, the SLC boldly advertised a tender notice calling for expression of interest for the launch of Lanka Premier League scheduling the tournament from 15th of August to 04th of September 2020.
SLC Chairman is hopeful that Sri Lanka would be able to play England and South Africa in a rescheduled tour programme before the end of year 2020. Asked about any loss incurred to Sri Lanka Cricket due to cancellation of the English tour, he said that they had not accounted any losses so far as the tournament was eventually postponed as mutually agreed by both countries.
Answering to question on any cash flow issues to SLC due to the halt of cricketing activities in the country, the chairman said that fortunately the SLC is assured of funds from the International Cricket Council for this year as dues for our last year’s commitments fulfilled and his administration would be able to manage them to ensure finance stability for the year 2020. “Although the country is at a halt, the SLC is paying all the contracted players, its employees and contractors with their obligations and are maintaining the grounds in a proper manner” explained Shammi Silva.
He further said that it was sad to note that those daily waged staff is deprived of their income at the moment, but hopefully, SLC would begin its cricketing activities in near future and will have a busy schedule which would help them recover some losses.
SLC chairman was praiseworthy of the steps taken by the government and its affiliated institutions in its fight against the spread of coronavirus in the island nation. “I am confident that these commendable efforts by the government and the National Operation Centre for the Prevention of Covd19 would bear good fruits and people in our country could return to normalcy in a month’s time” were the praising words of Shammi Silva. “Two months down the line we should be able to resume our cricketing activities” said Silva. He emphasized that it is important that we all should adhere strictly to the guidelines of the Covid19 Prevention and help the institutions who are actually fighting against the coronavirus in our country.
1 Trackback / Pingback