Abdul Razzak spills beans on veteran cricketers' income

Abdul Razzaq, former all-rounder of the Pakistan cricket team, has recently revealed the salaries earned by cricketers during his time as player in the national team.

The veteran sportsman, in a podcast interview, responded to a query regarding his earnings from leagues versus the national team, stating that he earned more from representing Pakistan.

When the host further questioned about the remuneration of national team players, Razzaq said that when he debuted in 1996, ODIs were played frequently. But in 1999, players received Rs10,000 per match.

He added that this amount was significantly increased to Rs250,000 in the year 2000. Comparing it to first-class cricket in India, he mentioned that Indian players were earning around Rs100,000 or Rs150,000 per match at the time, while Pakistani players received just Rs10,000 for international matches.

The 43-year-old ex-all-rounder recalled that in those days, the team played an average of 30 to 35 ODIs and 9 to 10 Test matches annually, with all their earnings coming from the Pakistan team. He also emphasised the respect they received as players.

He further noted that before 2001, there was no central contract system in place. However, they enjoyed playing cricket and had a good average. The former cricketer mentioned that by the time he retired from international cricket in 2013, players were earning around Rs500,000 or Rs600,000 for ODIs, Rs1 million for Test matches and Rs300,000 or 350,000 for T20 games. He added that the amount has since doubled or tripled.

Razzaq acknowledged that he had good sponsors and advertisements during his playing career, which brought in additional income.

The athlete is currently involved in coaching after representing Pakistan in 32 T20Is, 265 ODIs, and 46 Test matches in his career. Notably, he was part of the national team that won the ICC T20 World Cup 2009.