Atapattu asks to end contract, linked with ICL

By IANS

Colombo : Former Sri Lankan captain Marvan Atapattu has asked to be released from his contract with the national team, putting a question mark over his future in international cricket.


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“We received a letter Friday addressed to Duleep Mendis requesting release from his contract,” said Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Kangaradaran Mathivavan, according to Monday’s Daily News.

Atapattu’s request is being linked with an offer to join the Indian Cricket League (ICL), launched by the Essel Group.

An SLC meeting Monday will decide on Atapattu’s request and also formulate a policy to address the ICL issue.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has, through the International Cricket Council (ICC), requested all member nations to bar their players from joining the ICL.

Atapattu’s current contract with SLC runs until March 2008 and he is one of six players with a Grade ‘A’ contract. He is currently playing club cricket in England.

The former skipper did not play a single game in the World Cup in the West Indies where Sri Lanka reached the final, and the subsequent tour to Abu Dhabi for the one-day series with Pakistan.

Atapattu, who has scored more than 5,330 runs in 88 Tests with 16 hundreds and 8,529 runs in 268 ODIs with 11 hundreds, then announced his unavailability for the home series against Bangladesh after being named in the squad.

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