The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has provided central contracts to the players currently participating in the World Cup in India, according to sources.
The players have received copies of their contracts for their review and signature. Their salaries will be disbursed once they sign the contracts.
It was previously reported that the PCB has negotiated central contract deals with senior players, resulting in a substantial increase in players’ salaries by 202%. Players in Category A will now receive a monthly salary of Rs6 million, while those in Category B will receive Rs3.5 million.
Mickey Arthur Defends Babar Azam And Inzamam, Rejects Witch-Hunt Allegations
On Friday, the Pakistan cricket team’s director, Mickey Arthur, defended the players and the management during a post-match press conference after the South Africa match. He termed the criticism directed towards skipper Babar Azam and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq as “unfair.”
Arthur lamented the blame game that appeared to have started back home following the poor performance in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan’s team, known as the “Men in Green,” suffered four consecutive losses in the 10-team tournament, marking the first time in World Cup history.
Amidst the criticism, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) distanced itself from selection matters, stating that “Captain Babar Azam and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq were given freedom and support in forming the squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.”
Responding to questions about the backlash, Arthur defended the players and the management staff, stating, “It’s really unfair to start a witch hunt, certainly on Babar Azam, on Inzi, on our coaches, on the management team. What I do know is that the boys have tried, and the effort of the coaching staff, the effort of the players has been first-class.”
However, Arthur acknowledged that the players hadn’t performed as they should have and admitted, “Yeah, look to be brutally honest, we haven’t put together the perfect game yet. I don’t think we’ve batted well enough yet as a unit.”
Regarding the team’s batting performance, he mentioned, “I think that pitch, certainly par on that pitch, is 300 at least,” expressing his disappointment that Pakistan’s batting couldn’t put enough runs on the board against South Africa.
