No pay raise for cricketers

PCB to announce central contracts for the second part of the year today.

KARACHI:

Pakistan cricketers will face disappointment when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces the central contracts for the next six months today, as there will be no increase in their monthly salaries and match fees, which have remained the same for over two years now.

The PCB has been unable to increase the monthly salaries, match fees and other perks of the centrally-contracted cricketers because of its weak financial position. Lack of international cricket has deprived the PCB of a valuable source of income, which meant that the previous central contracts announced in January, also did not include any pay raise.

A PCB official confirmed that there has been no increment in the players’ salaries.

“Cricketers in the A category will continue to earn a monthly salary of Rs250,000, while those in the B category will receive Rs175,000,” said the official. “Players in the C category will earn Rs100,000 per month.”

However, the official said that the players will receive a pay hike in the contracts that will be announced in January next year, as the compensation that the PCB was given after the country was stripped of hosting rights for the World Cup, will materialise by then.

According to the official, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Akmal are expected to be included in the A category, while Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq and Kamran Akmal will not be offered new contracts. Shoaib Malik will also be excluded for the time being but will be offered an A category contract if he is given official clearance by the PCB Integrity Committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2011.