Sri Lankan cricketers receive substantial pay hike ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

Sri Lanka Cricket released an official statement on Friday, May 10 which indicated that fees for all categories of Sri Lanka's international players have been raised with immediate effect. This decision has been taken in a bid to enhance the nation's cricketing prowess before the impending ICC T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled for June.

The largest pay hike was for the red-ball format exclusively on the grounds of merit on a 100% basis. Notably, Sri Lanka are currently ranked seventh in the 12-team ICC Men's Test rankings and fourth in the nine-nation World Test Championship cycle (2023-25).

"There will be different payment structures for a Test match ‘won’, ‘drawn’ or ‘lost’," the SLC stated as quoted by News 18.

Test match fees are set to escalate from the original $7500 (INR 6.27 lakh) to a maximum of $15,000 (INR 12.53 lakh) for emerging victorious in a match. As for the possible results, fees of $12,500 (INR 10.44 lakh, 66.67% hike) and $10,000 (INR 8.35 lakh, 33.33% hike) for a draw and a loss, respectively.  

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The CEO of the SLC, Ashley de Silva, stated that the decision to implement a 100% pay hike for players connected with the longest format of the game underscored Sri Lanka's dedication to preserving the esteemed tradition of Test cricket. 

Speaking of the white-ball formats, the original sum of $3000 has been escalated to $4000 (33.33% hike). Besides, the SLC also committed to honoring players with a lumpsum disbursement who achieved top rankings in the ICC Player Rankings across all formats, as well as those ranking between 10th and second place.

“Accordingly, a player will be financially rewarded with a one-time payment if they become the ‘Best Batsman, Best Bowler, or Best All-Rounder based on ICC rankings, covering all formats,” the SLC declared.

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“In the meantime, if a player attains a ranking between 10th and 2nd place in the ICC rankings in the aforesaid categories, such players will also be recognised with a one-time payment,” the governing body noted.