Has Sri Lanka Cricket met its waterloo? According to a reliable inside source, the South Asian Cricketing giant has run aground. Sri Lanka Cricket now has no money for its existence, no money coming into their kitty in the foreseeable future or else there is no one who is willing to lend any money to this almost dead giant.
According to the source SLC has about 6000 to 7000 million in outstanding payments of which about 3000 million is to the Ports Authority.
With no money for their salaries (appx Rs. 23 million), sundry payments and the payments for small time suppliers SLC (appx Rs 170 million) was seeking a two million dollar loan from a leading government Bank. They obtained the loan late last week and on Friday the Salaries were banked.
However the source pointed out even if the institution gets this loan it would be a tiny plaster to this huge wound and not even a short term solution.
That is only on the surface. The reality is that the SLC is in no position to even conduct its local tournaments and even the $300,000 obtained to conduct the Sri Lanka’s Cricket T-20 show piece – SLPL in July –August is already spent. How the SLC is going to overcome that obstacle is interesting.
Soon after Sri Lanka will have the task of hosting Australia in a three Test – five ODI series in August-September, the source pointed out; under the present circumstances the cost of 250-300 million rupees to stage this vital series would also be a make-or-break task for the Lankan authorities.
The source pointed out even if the present administration is changed, then the situation will not abate owing to the prevailing grave financial situation of the institution.
This situation arose with the building of three new venues in Sri Lanka for the 2011 World Cup which they hosted and the alleged waste and corruption that was involved with it.
Subsequently the SLC was hauled up against the parliament’s probe committee – COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises), last week.
Finally the source revealed insiders at the SLC feel the only way out of this situation is to approach Sri Lanka’s cash rich neighbour India who would always want to keep one its main allies alive, but Sri Lanka’s only strong link with the Indian hierarchy in the administration is not allowed to work to his true potential by a strong inter-connected forum.
However an influential interim committee member refuted these allegations and said “It is true that we are facing a cash shortage at present but as soon as we get the approximate 3 million dollars from the ICC as the World Cup balance payment we would be back on the track. However this does not mean that we could indulge in a spending spree but, we would have to cut the coat according to the cloth. |
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