Performance-based central contracts planned

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is currently reviewing the central contract systems of Australia, England and India and will announce new performance-based system for its players shortly, according to a PCB official. The contract system for the leading players will be, says the PCB, even better than the one recently announced by India.

"We are reviewing contract systems in use in three different countries including India and are confident of devising a new pay structure that would be even better," Ahsan Malik, PCB's Media Director, told The News. The board suspended all central contracts after the team's shocking first round exit from the World Cup last month. They followed that up with the announcement that new contracts would be based on performance rather seniority as has been the practice in the past.

There is a strong possibility, according to Malik, that the new system is finalised by next month's ad-hoc committee meeting. He also said that the country's top twenty players might be given central contracts by the board for a twelve-month period.

The contracts would be based on the performance of the players from July 2006 to June this year, including the results of the ODI series against Abu Dhabi that starts next week. The results from a disappointing twelve months, in which Pakistan lost Test series to England and South Africa as well as exiting the Champions Trophy and the World Cup in the early stages, may well reflect on the new contract system.

Malik further revealed that the board is planning to pay domestic players, in particular top performers, a retainer as well. Promising and talented young cricketers are also expected to be offered "healthy retainers."