Sri Lanka Cricket orders staff to disrobe, apologizes

Zimbabwe cricketer Tarisai Musakanda(L) looks on as Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera(R) delivers a ball during the 5th One Day International cricket match between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe atMahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, (southern part of Sri Lanka) at Hambantota,Sri Lanka on Monday 10 th July 2017 (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /

Sri Lanka Cricket received criticism after demanding that some staff take off their team- issued clothes, including pants, in order to be paid.

It seems like the only time cricket makes the news is when either something terrible or really weird happens. Sure, cricket is possibly the most popular sport on Earth, but it doesn’t make the same cultural impact as other international sports. At least not in North America.

In any event, this story is both terrible and really weird.

According to Sri Lanka’s Sunday Times, the island nation’s cricket association hired about 100 temporary ground staff for a series of five games against Zimbabwe. The staff are said to have mostly been local youths. They were provided with branded uniforms before the first match.

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However, the staff was apparently not made aware that they would have to give the uniforms back on the last day of the series in order to be paid. Many of the temporary workers mentioned that they did not bring a change of clothes. So they had to strip to their underwear if they wanted to get paid. In front of everyone. It sounds like a bad dream.

In a report from the BBC, the Sri Lankan cricket board has already issued an apology, expressing sympathy for the workers who were “subjected to this ignominy.” The board also insisted that they would compensate those affected.

So far, no individual has been blamed for the incident. But it sounds like a classic case of somebody with a small amount of authority refusing to bend the rules. Whoever is responsible, the board has promised “stern action” against them.

Long may Sunday, July 10, live in infamy. For it was the day that 100 young men got what some of them probably thought was a dream job: Five days working in a stadium hosting their country’s favorite sport. And then they had to strip to their underwear so they could get paid.