Lanka cricketers just days away from getting over 5 million dollars in back pay

Sri Lanka's cricketers are just days away from receiving over five million US dollars in outstanding payments dating back to last year's World Cup.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, that payment will cover the players until January 31, but does not include money owed to them by the cash-strapped governing body for the eight tri-series matches they have played against India and Australia this summer.

The Sri Lankan Government has reportedly approved a 5.07 million US dollar loan from a state-owned bank to the board, allowing Sri Lanka Cricket to wire funds to their players.

The money is yet to be credited to the players' accounts but ''hopefully it will be done on Monday'', the general secretary of the Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association, Ken de Alwis, told the Herald.

With players earning 5000 US dollars in match fees for an ODI, they are likely to be still short by about 500,000 US dollars once the prize money is included.

Sri Lankan cricket was thrown further into turmoil this week when the players' contracts expired.

While the SLCA is due to receive a draft copy of a new deal ''any moment now'', no agreement will be signed until the players are paid for their services in Australia up to the end of last month.

''We are concerned the full contractual terms have not been met by the cricket board, which we are not happy with,'' De Alwis said. (ANI)

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