Pakistan players receive pay rise

At a time other cricket boards are announcing pay cuts and freezes, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed that it is awarding its players pay rises of up to 25%.

The players will now earn around Rs50,000 (approx US$875) per month compared to Rs28,000 previously, while senior players like skipper Rashid Latif could pocket up to Rs200,000 as opposed to Rs158,000 previously.

Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, chairman of the PCB, revealed that a proposal from Rashid Latif that all players should receive the same, regardless of seniority, was considered unjustified. The previous slab system would continue with senior players who have played more matches being paid more while the juniors would be compensated according to appearances in Tests and ODIs.

Apart from the pay hike, another 25% bonus would be paid to all players following a win in a Test. Zia went on to say that the PCB wanted to give players their due rights rather than deprive them monetarily.

In an earlier briefing on May 1, Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the PCB, had said: "We are very close to finalizing the central contracts that will be awarded to a select number of players. Minor modifications are to be made in the contracts before they are awarded."