For playing in a domestic season that ends in less than a month, nearly 200 domestic cricketers in Pakistan are still waiting for their salaries. Despite the fact that the season officially began on August 30, none of the 192 players who participated in a variety of domestic events.
Events such as the National T20 Cup and the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, have received their monthly retainers or even match monies. Players have only received daily expenses-only payments thus far.
There has been a delay in payments, which several players and sources inside the PCB have verified. This is said to be due to the amount of domestic cricket played this season, including a new Pakistan Junior League event that required significant administrative resources to stage.
The PCB Board of Governors’ approval of an increase in the domestic players’ monthly retainers and match costs is claimed to have resulted in administrative problems, which in turn contributed to the delay.
However, the prolonged wait has put an undue burden on the vast majority of domestic cricketers who depend only on the sport to make a living, according to an administration led by Ramiz Raja, a former cricketer. The Pakistani economy is currently experiencing severe turbulence, with the rupee’s value falling and an inflation rate that peaked in November at over 20%. This payment delay coincides with this economic turmoil.
The domestic structure was redesigned by the PCB in 2019, with the conventional regional and department teams being eliminated and the national pipeline being reduced to six associations that represent each of the six provinces of the nation.
Prior to that, a substantial portion of domestic cricketers had contracts with the organizations they represented, such as Sui Gas Northern Pipelines (SNGPL) or Habib Bank (HBL). The PCB provided compensation to the remaining local athletes. In the new arrangement, the PCB is responsible for paying the full cost of over Rs 2 billion.
The PCB hasn’t formally negotiated contracts with players in the past, and players haven’t often contested any conditions beyond securing adequate yearly wage increases. But the athletes of today are more conscious of their market value and how that should be reflected in a contract. In a similar vein, players typically agree to domestic contracts without much debate.
The PCB has pledged to start giving out the National T20 Cup match fees this week, followed by the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, according to several players who confirmed this. However, retainer payments won’t be settled until the next month.
Players had access to contacts in five categories thanks to the PCB. Thirty-five players will fall into category A+, 48 players into category B, 70 players into category C, and 24 players into category D.
A player who participated in the QA Trophy will get a match fee of PKR 100,000 under the new financial model. White-ball competitions like the Pakistan Cup and National T20 currently pay players PKR 60,000 per match. In red-ball and white-ball cricket, the non-playing members of a squad are paid PKR 40,000 and PKR 20,000 every game, respectively.
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