How much PCB pays Pakistani players?
Category A players get paid Rs4.5 million per month followed by Category B's remuneration of Rs3 million
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released the details regarding the players' remuneration via their central contracts, The News reported on Monday.
The development comes as the team has been under scrutiny following their early exit from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 with the board considering making changes to the players' central contracts
Some players are expected to be demoted due to poor performances, whereas others might lose their central contracts altogether.
As per the details of existing central contracts, Category A players, which include Babar, Rizwan and star pacer Shaheen Afridi, are paid Rs4.5 million per month.
Meanwhile, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Azman, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah are paid Rs3 million per month in Category B.
Category C players are paid between Rs750,00 to Rs1.5 million per month and include players such as Imad Wasim.
Meanwhile, Category D players are also paid the same as Category C and include players with the likes of Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub and others.
It is to be noted that the aforesaid figures reflect only the monthly salaries of the players who alsoalso earn match fees and win bonuses across all three formats (Test, ODI, T20I) along with sponsorship perks.
The existing three-year central contracts were awarded last year and came into effect from July 1, 2023, after the then-PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf was pressurised by players for increased remunerations, sources had told Geo News.
Meanwhile, skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan are at risk of losing category A in their central contracts. However, the salaries of the national cricketers will not be slashed, the sources added.
Additionally, there are concerns that the players may refusecentral contracts if they are demoted and might opt to play freely without the restrictions.
Currently, the board is waiting for head coach Gary Kirsten's report as it will makedecisions in light of it. Moreover,senior manager Wahab Riaz will also present a report which will be reviewed before final decisions.