Disciplinary action to be taken

12 April 2011 02:46 pm Views - 17123

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage today said that disciplinary action will be taken against those Sri Lanka cricket team members who fail to return from the IPL for the practice matches for the England tour once they are selected.

The Sri Lankans are scheduled to leave for England on May 10, and the IPL-contracted players have been requested to return home at least by May 5 to prepare for the tour. The IPL ends on the May 28.

“On a recommendation made by the national selection committee I have instructed the secretary of the board to inform the players to return by at least the 5th of May to prepare for the tour,” Sri Lanka’s sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said.

“When contracted players of Sri Lanka Cricket represent other tournaments, they should make sure that their priority lies with the national team and this will be strictly adhered to in the future,” Aluthgamage added.

The move is in complete contrast to the one that was taken three years ago when it cancelled a tour of England in 2009 to allow the players participate in the hugely popular Twenty20 league in 2008.

Besides Sangakkara and Jayawardene, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Tilakaratne Dilshan and Nuwan Pradeep are some of the Sri Lankan players involved in the fourth season of the IPL