ICC President condemn SLC's USD 70m deal with IPL [October 12 2008]

President of the International Cricket Council (ICC) David Morgan has criticised the USD 70 million ten-year deal between Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the Indian Premier League (IPL) is "quite unacceptable behaviour at a time the SLC has to honour its summer tour of England". In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the world cricket chief has condemned the lucrative deal between the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) and IPL chairman Lalit Modi.

Morgan said the deal, which, if ratified by the Indian Board - BCCI, would force the abandonment of Sri Lanka's Test series in England in May next year. Morgan has pointed out that only last month the ICC reaffirmed the primacy of Test cricket with the unanimous agreement of all Full Members.

Sri Lanka's has already undertaken to tour England from April 21 to May 30 but the summer tour will overlap with IPL which is scheduled for April 10-May 25. Since series clashes with the latter stages of the IPL's second season, and several Lankan IPL contracted players such as skipper Mahela Jayawardene, Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara will have problems with their lucrative contracts with the Indian sides in the IPL.

Since Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge has asked the SLC to release IPL contracted players, Sri Lanka will be forced to send a makeshift side for the tour of England.