After months of intense negotiations and player protests, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a landmark agreement on Thursday regarding new contracts for their men’s cricketers. The deal comes with substantial salary hikes and a fixed share of the board’s earnings, signaling a significant breakthrough in the ongoing deadlock.
Under the terms of the new contract, the 25 centrally contracted players have been categorized into three groups, each offering different levels of financial remuneration. The breakdown is as follows:
Category A: Players in this category will receive an impressive PKR 4.5 million (approximately $15,900 or ₹13.14 lakh) every month. Among those in this elite category are Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Category B: Cricketers in Category B will enjoy monthly salaries of PKR 3 million (around $10,600 or ₹8.76 lakh). This category includes notable names like Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, and Shadab Khan.
Category C and D: Players in these categories will receive monthly salaries ranging from PKR 0.75 million to PKR 1.5 million (approximately $2650-5300 or ₹2.19-4.38 lakh). This group encompasses several promising talents and experienced players who have contributed to Pakistan’s cricketing success.
In addition to the salary increments, the PCB has also boosted match fees across all formats. Test match fees see a 50 percent increase, while ODIs and T20Is will witness a 25 percent and 12.5 percent raise, respectively. After these increases, the match fees stand at PKR 1.25 million (approximately $4,358) for Tests, PKR 644,620 (around $2,247.70) for ODIs, and PKR 418,584 (approximately $1,459) for T20Is.
Moreover, the PCB has agreed to allocate 3 percent of its annual revenue to be shared with the players. This allocation amounts to $1 million, to be divided among the 25 contracted players over and above their monthly salaries and match fees. The precise method of this revenue-sharing arrangement has not yet been disclosed.
Babar Azam, the captain of the men’s team and a prominent figure in the negotiations, expressed his “extreme happiness and satisfaction” with the new contract. The agreement brings an end to the uncertainty surrounding the players’ compensation and sets the stage for Pakistan’s men’s cricket team to focus on their upcoming commitments, including their first match of the 2023 World Cup against the Netherlands on October 6.