It has been decided to end the long-running controversy about central contracts for Pakistani cricket players. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hasn’t been paying players their monthly retainers or match payments for the past four months.
Zaka Ashraf, the head of the PCB Management Committee, gave Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq permission to bargain on behalf of the players in order to solve this issue. They were persuaded by Inzamam’s association with the same agent as other Pakistani cricketers.
Babar Azam, the Pakistani captain, recently outlined the requests of the players during a conference at Zaka Ashraf’s house after being invited there by Inzamam. The players’ demand for a portion of the money the PCB receives from the International Cricket Council (ICC) was the main point of contention. Ashraf made the decision to do anything after consulting with advisors.
An important discussion on this issue recently resulted in an agreement to give the players 3% of the PCB’s ICC earnings. Even though this still represents a considerable sum, it was seen as a reasonable compromise.
Category A players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan will now be paid PKR 4.5 million per month as per the new contract rules. Players in categories A and B would get monthly rewards ranging from PKR 1.5 to 0.7 million, while category B players will receive PKR 3 million. The participants were also made aware of a 10% tax deduction by the board.
The proposed contract has received the players’ general support, and they have agreed to sign it after more consideration.
