Breaking News

Aussie cricket tour budget cuts

26 Jun 2011 - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka's cash-strapped cricket administration has slashed the budget for Australia's tour, Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said, stressing security will not be compromised.

But minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage on Sunday ordered Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to trim the 50-million rupee ($A445,000) security bill to just nine million rupees ($A81,000).

Australia are due to play three Tests, five one-day matches and two Twenty20 games during their August 6 to September 20 tour. "We are taking austerity measures because we can't even recover the monies we are spending," Aluthgamage told AFP.

"Lots of frills like distributing hundreds of free tickets and banquet meals for invitees will be cut."

SLC had budgeted 300 million rupees ($A2.67 million) but the projected income was a "dismal" 150 million rupees. Sri Lanka hopes to spend about 100 million rupees instead on the tour, said the minister, who has moved to overhaul the cricket administration amid allegations of massive corruption and mismanagement.

Despite ending a decades-long ethnic conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009, Sri Lanka maintains tight security for visiting teams which includes commandos and private security guards.

"There is no war now, and I think there is enough officers in the military and police that could assure us very good security, at a fraction of the cost," he said.

The newly-built Pallakelle International Stadium in the central town of Kandy will host the Twenty20 games, as well as the opening one-dayer and the second Test.

Another new cricket facility in the southern town of Hambantota will host two one-dayers. Both venues were built for the 2011 World Cup.

Aluthgamage has promised a new set of administrators after Sri Lanka's tour of England ends in early July as part of his shake-up of the sport's governing body.

"I am inundated with reports that allege the committee had helped themselves to money, mismanaged funds. We are investigating all these allegations," he said.

Aluthgamage this month sought government approval to allow SLC to seek an unprecedented two-billion rupee bailout from the treasury and a further 1.5-billion rupee loan from a state-run bank.

This month, police Criminal Investigations Department were called to probe the disappearance of computer disks containing some of the financial accounts relating to the 2011 World Cup, which the island co-hosted with India and Bangladesh.

Cost overruns and building three stadiums for the tournament left the governing body with bills amounting to $A65 million which have forced them to seek the bailout. (AFP)

Breaking News

Aussie cricket tour budget cuts

Most Popular Articles

More arrests of lawyers, politicians and senior police officers

Former National Lotteries Board Chairperson Shyamila Perera arrested

Girl visited her lover, gang raped by lover and his friends

Historic locomotive move between Kandy and Peradeniya without tracks

Updated World Test Championship standings after West Indies’ record win over Sri Lanka

12-hour water cut in Colombo and suburbs on Saturday

Latest News

Sri Lanka braces for El Niño impacts due to weather volatility warnings

Trump says 500,000 children receive first $1,000 Trump account deposits

Commander of the Navy meets with Commander of the Air Force

Inmates’ plan was to sabotage smooth functioning of prison operations: Minister

2027 public and bank holidays gazetted