Why Sri Lankans don’t want to go back

After his hurricane 185 against Bangladesh in Dhaka recently, Shane Watson had said that he went on a six-hitting binge because he was too tired to run! Having had to play non-stop cricket for nearly three years (he has played 11 Tests, 21 ODIs and 13 T20 Internationals in the last 12 months alone), the Australia all-rounder was well within his rights to feel burnt out. After all, he has had little rest since April 2008.

It was learnt that Rajasthan Royals were not sure if it would be prudent to ask Watson to report for their game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday after Australia finished their last of the three ODIs against Bangladesh only two days earlier. So they hoped the star all-rounder would cross over from Dhaka to Kolkata and would have enough rest to be ready for RR’s fixture at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. However, Watson took the next available flight to be in Jaipur for Friday’s match. He, of course, did not show any signs fatigue and ran hard during the game!

The franchise buzz is that no foreign player is willing to waste available time. For instance, Watson, retained by the Royals for an undisclosed amount, would earn at least $150,000 for every match he plays. In other words, he would lose that much for every match he misses. Another Australian player worked overtime back home to be ready for the IPL. He made fast progress and reported for his franchise duty on Saturday.

Someone like Mahela Jayawardene, signed by Kochi Tuskers Kerala for $1.5 million, would stand to lose about $110,000 for every match he misses. The loss for Lasith Malinga would also be as much, or may be even more, as he was retained by Mumbai Indians for an undeclared amount. Kumar Sangakkara would lose about $50,000 for every game missed.

In such a backdrop, Sri Lanka Cricket’s order to its players to report by May 5 has not exactly gone down well with the players. Muttiah Muralitharan said that in as many words when he criticised his own board. “I think the board (SLC) has given them permission till May 20. I don’t know what happened suddenly. The players were told to come on May 5. It is the fault of SLC because they signed the NOC till May 20 so if they change it to May 5 it is something wrong,” Muralitharan said on Friday. Having retired, the Lankan spinner had the courage to criticise SLC. He could well be speaking for all the Lankan players in the IPL. The players have a lot to lose.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written a letter to the SLC secretary. In his letter to Nishantha Ranatunga, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan is believed to have cited a written assurance provided by the SLC over the availability of its players for the tournament.

Here in India, there is a perception that the issue is an off-shot of internal power struggle within the SLC. Ranatunga had Duleep Mendis dumped as its CEO last year. Now that Mendis is back as chairman of selectors, he is settling scores with Ranatunga, who is seen as a pro-India administrator.

There is a talk in board circles that it was Sri Lankan sports minister Mahindananda Althugamage who ordered for the return of his players because he was made to wait outside the Wankhede Stadium on the day of the World Cup final.

The BCCI contends that it cannot be blamed because the World Cup was an event organised by the International Cricket Council. This point is believed to have been mentioned in the letter. The BCCI has not yet received a reply but it is felt that a middle ground will be found before May 5.