As many 18 Sri Lankan players have signed the men's national contracts, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced. The all-rounder Angelo Mathews isn’t among these players.
The SLC further stated that the contract doesn’t have any “deviation” from the one that was offered earlier which was rejected by the players after they alleged “lack of transparency”.
The board had brought down the number of contracted players to 24 from 32 and had revealed a five-point grading system earlier in May. While the differences continued, the players signed tour contracts for the series against India and England.
The central contracts have come in effect from August 1, 2021 and will be held till December 31, 2021.
"The players were chosen under four categories and were nominated by the Selection Panel, based on a set of criteria such as Performance, Fitness, Leadership/Seniority, Professionalism/Code of Conduct, and Future/Adaptability," SLC explained in a release.
"The criteria and the allocation of points to individual players were shared among the players before they signed the contracts."
Three players, Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis who are serving respective bans weren’t considered.
Players who signed contracts: Dhananjaya De Silva, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Suranga Lakmal, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Lasith Embuldeniya, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dinesh Chandimal, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Oshada Fernando, Ramesh Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Ashen Bandara, Akila Dananjaya