In a bid to professionalize the cricketing system in the country, Sri Lanka Cricket management has decided to increase the number of contracted players to 98. With this increase cricketers not only in the national squad, the lads from the ‘A’ team, the Development Squad, Under 19 and other allied squads will come under the direct vigil of the SLC and play full time professional cricket.
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| Nishantha Ranatunga |
One of the main architects in this move SLC’s Interim Committee Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga describing this upgrading said: “Now they can concentrate only on cricket, rather than being worried about their places of employment.
Now the lowest in these categories will get a emolument of Rs.40,000/- and upwards a month and most of the beneficiaries are from the under 19 squad. I am aware even in the corporate sector a beginner in the executive category does not start with a sum as high as this. So they know that they are looked after and they can put in more time hone their skills.”
Ranatunga also said that these players, who will come under the SLC players’ contract, will get a full training where they would be taught the skills within the boundary lines as well as the etiquettes off the field, so that they would be a complete product at any given time that they get a national assignment.
“With a team of professionals of this nature embedded in the national cricket tournaments, automatically the value of the tournament also rises. The professionals will look to keep their performances sharp so that they could be within the recognized category, while the rest will strive to come into the limelight”.
Explaining their stance Ranatunga said that when the present Interim Committee took over the management, only the national squad was under contracts, but they gradually increased the number of contracted players till they reached this high number and said that this would definitely add more quality to the cricketing system in the island.
In another interesting move it is very noticeable that fast bowler Lasith Malinga who started the season in a lower category has been moved to category 1 by now.
Contracted Players 2010/2011
Category 1
Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Samaraweera, T.M. Dilshan, Lasith Malinga.
Category 2
Nuwan Kulasekera
Category 3
Anjelo Mathews
Category 4
Upul Tharanga, Thilan Thushara, Rangana Hearth, Prasanna Jayawardane, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Kapugedara, Thilina Kandamby.
Category 5
Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Welagedera, Tharanga Paranavithana
Category 6
Suraj Randev, Dinesh Chandimal
The rest of the contracted players who are categorized for contracts are:
CATEGORY A
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Chamara Silva, Malinga Bandara, Dhammika Prasad, Farveez. Maharoof, Malinda Warnapura, Jehan. Mubarak, Jeewantha Kulatunga.
Category B
Isuru Udana, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chintaka Jayasinghe, Indika De Saram, Michael Vandort, Kosala Kulasekera, Thisara Perera, Jeewan Mendis, Mahela Udawatte, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara.
Category C
Gihan Rupasinghe, Sujeewa Silva, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Hasantha Fernando, D. Dharshanapriya, D. Karunarathne, Sachitra Senanayake, Chaminda Vidanapathirana, Ashan Priyanjana, Seekuge. Prasanna, Tharanga Lakshitha, Janaka Gunaratne, Sajeewa Weerakoon, Nuwan Zoysa, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Gayan Wijekoon, Nadeera Nawala.
Category D
Madura Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Malinga Pushpakumara, Ishan Jayaratne, Yohan De Silva, Geeth De Alwis, Amal Athulathmudali, Sameera Soysa, S. Gangodawila, Shaminda Eranga, N. Premaratne, Danushka Gunatilleke, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Shalitha Karunanayake, Sachith Pathirana, Ramesh Perera, Kusal Janith Perera, Anjelo Perera, Roshane Silva, Hans Fernando, Sohan Boralessa, Sachitra Serasinghe, Dilruwan Perera, Kanchana Gunawardena, T.M. Sampath, Shanuka Dissanayake, Akalanka Ganegama, Romesh Buddhika, Kithruwan Vidanage, Chathura Peiris, Charith Jayampathi, Vimanga Perera, Naveen Kavikara, Umesh Karunaratne, Amila Prasad, Chinthaka Perera, Arosha Janodha, Gehan De Silva, Suranga Lakmal (To be contracted from 1st August 2010), Samitha De Mel, Dilshan Munaweera |
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