The executive committee of Sri Lanka Cricket, at its meeting in Colombo on Monday, “unanimously” decided to support the structural changes in the International Cricket Council that were proposed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia, and the England & Wales Cricket Board.
SLC and the Pakistan Cricket Board were the only two member nations to abstain from voting on a resolution at the ICC Board meeting in Singapore on February 8.
“Subsequent to the committee members assessing the revised resolutions in detail, all members were satisfied with the amendments made in the areas of governance and competition models, and thus unanimously decided to support the paper,” the SLC said.
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SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said Sri Lanka was set to earn $60 million from bilateral tours in the next seven years — one Indian tour for a month ($28 million), an England tour ($12 million), and one Australian tour ($7-8 million). “People who talk about principles will not give us the money. We have to make our money from these tours,” Ranatunga told ESPNcricinfo. “When any other country comes for a full tour we bear the same cost, but the returns are very small compared to the other three countries.”
Ranatunga also dispelled fears that the ‘Big Three’ would ostracise Sri Lanka owing to the latter’s delayed support to the proposals.
“Since we have been very clear and precise in our communications they respect us,” he said.
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With India set to tour Sri Lanka in 2017, Ranatunga expressed hope that the Future Tours Programme chalked out till 2018 wouldn’t be disturbed.