Thaindian News

Lahore, April 9(ANI): The Pakistani cricketers, who have not got any salary raise during the last two years, have been denied an increment again in their latest six-month central contract applicable from January 1, 2011.

Apparently hit hard by the financial crunch due to the suspension of international cricket in the country, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not made any increase in the central contract salaries or match fees of players, whom it has told to sign their six-month central contracts by April 12.

The PCB has not increased the central contract salaries or match fees for the players since 2009, when international cricket activities were suspended in Pakistan after a terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

However, a special committee would soon take the issue of salary raise for the national team players into account, The Nation reports.

While 19 Pakistani players are centrally contracted with the PCB, 15 of them featured in the recently held ICC World Cup 2011. Shoaib Malik, M Yousuf and Danish Kaneria are no longer centrally contracted by the PCB.

The players who are not centrally contracted would also get the same match fees as the contracted players, but if a match is not completed or gets abandoned, then the players would get only 50 per cent of their fees.

However, the board has retained a lucrative bonus system for the centrally contracted players, under which they are entitled to a 100 per cent bonus of their match fees if they beat India or the top three teams in the ICC rankings in a match.

If they win a series against India or the top three ranked teams, they are entitled to a bonus of 200 per cent of their match fees, and if they win an ICC or Asian Cricket Council event, their bonus is equivalent to 300 per cent of their match fees.

Besides the financial aspects of the central contracts, the PCB has also lain down stiff penalties for the players for Code of Conduct violations, and given them clear directions on this.

The board is also taking measures to keep a close check on the players’ recent performances as well as their income and wealth tax returns, which is in line with the International Cricket Council’s guidelines to eradicate corruption from the game. (ANI)