Indian players to give FICA percentage of earnings

The Indian board (BCCI) has given its players the go-ahead to give a percentage of their prize money to the Federation of International Cricketers (FICA) after Rahul Dravid reportedly wrote to the board last week seeking its permission to do the same.

"We have told the ICC that we will distribute the entire prize money among the players," Prof Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's Chief Administrative Officer, told the Hindustan Times. "After that, it is up to the players to do as they wish with that money. All we are concerned about is that we cannot transfer the money to FICA on players' behalf."

Shetty said that the board would not act as an intermediary since it was not affiliated to the FICA. "The players will have to do it themselves," he said. "We have our players' association which tackles players' issues. So I am not sure whether this initiative will really take the players' movement forward."