ISLAMABAD: Sources revealed late Friday night that as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) considers making significant changes in the Central Contracts of the national side players, the trio of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan is likely to receive a hefty pay raise.
According to the sources, the cricketing body has not only decided to reduce the number of players in the central contract to 25 or 26 (previously 33) but also to eliminate the red and white ball category from the contracts.
Furthermore, the players are expected to receive a historic rise of about a 50% increase in their match fees under the new contracts.
The new contracts will be distributed among players in four different categories, namely A, B, C, and D.
Senior players Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen are reportedly included in category A and are the top earners with a whopping Rs4.5 million a month as retainers — almost four times that of last year’s offer.
Players in Category B will earn around Rs3 million, while those in Category C and D will earn around Rs0.75-1.5 million.
It should be noted that the contracts expired on June 30 but were extended for a month due to uncertainty regarding chairmanship in the PCB.
The PCB will distribute the central contracts to the players after announcing the new selection committee and obtaining the approval of the PCB management committee chairman Zaka Ashraf.
Earlier, the PCB appointed former Test cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq as the head of the high-profile Cricket Technical Committee.
The committee, which includes former Test cricketers Inzamam-ul-Haq (likely to become head of the new selection committee) and Mohammad Hafeez, will provide recommendations on cricket-related matters. These include the overall domestic structure, scheduling, playing conditions, the appointment of national selection committees, national team coaches, central and domestic contracts, and plans for the development of umpires, referees, and curators.
They will also have the power to invite additional cricket experts and will regularly report to the head of the PCB Management Committee.
