Salaries of cricketers

After spending nearly half a year waiting for their salaries, the country’s regional team players have finally spoken out against the delay, criticising the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its inaction. The reason for the delay in settling the dues, which were supposed to be cleared at the end of April, is the “chairman-less” PCB, as confirmed by a board official. Zaka Ashraf was suspended through court orders barely after he had kicked off celebrations becoming the PCB’s first elected chief.

While Mr Ashraf deals with his problems in court, Pakistan’s regional players have nowhere to turn to. The board, affairs of which are temporarily being looked after by the chief operating officer until an interim chairman is appointed, seems to be helpless in resolving the matter. Salaries of regional team players, team selection issues after the Champions Trophy debacle, choosing a representative for the International Cricket Council meeting, are among the issues facing the officials at the moment. It is indeed a pity that among all this chaos, it is the regional team players who are suffering the most. Playing for a chance to represent the national team is one motivation. But getting paid for one’s services in order to support one’s family is a serious matter. By not paying the players on time, isn’t the PCB encouraging them to look for alternatives? And not all substitutes are going to be legal. What good will the anti-corruption code and the policy of educating players about dangers of corrupt practices do then?

Regional team players are not like national cricketers. They do not have a massive fan following and do not have recourse to lucrative sponsorships. Their salaries aren’t that much and most of them depend on money made from playing cricket for their sustenance. There is little justified reasoning behind the delay in their salaries. But by putting their pay on the backburner, the PCB is making one thing obvious. In this country, the poor person will always be the one to suffer.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 24^th, 2013.

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