Sri Lanka lose $125,000 on Windies series

CRICKET: Sri Lanka Cricket on Saturday said it had lost $125,000 after bad weather forced a one-day series against the visiting West Indies to be rescheduled.

The series was due to be played in December but has been postponed to this month and early February, and reduced from five matches to three.

Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Executive Ajith Jayasekera said the board lost television fees of $25,000 for each of the original meetings.

“The matches couldn’t be played and we didn’t get the fee for each match,” Jayasekera told AFP. He added that the partner broadcaster Ten Sports would not show the current series as it was considered as a separate tour rather than part of the previous programme.

The matches will still be shown by Sri Lanka’s national television station Rupavahini, but will not be broadcast to international audiences.

They were to have been played at two of Sri Lanka’s World Cup venues but will now all be held at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

But Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara played down any significance to the switch ahead of the World Cup.

“Our mental approach has to be regardless of getting experience on the wickets. There is a World Cup to be played, and played well. So our preparation is going to be the same,” he said.

“We are strong enough and we have the character to deal with whatever comes our way.”

Sri Lanka, the losing finalists of the 2007 edition, are in Pool A with defending champions Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Canada.

The tournament starts in Dhaka on February 19.