Lahore
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has made the new central contracts heavily incentivised, with the players standing to pocket huge bonuses if they beat three of the top-ranked teams, especially India.
The new contracts, a copy of which is available with a national Urdu daily, has not only upped the rate of match fees paid to the players but also includes a win bonus that would double or even triple the players’ pay packets if they get the right results.
The PCB, as per Urdu daily, would reward each player of the playing XI with a win bonus, which would be 100 per cent of their match fees, if they beat the top-ranked trio in a Test match.
For beating teams ranked fourth to seventh, the win bonus will be 75 per cent of the match fees, whereas the rate for doing the same against any other opposition would be 50 per cent. The incentives are even higher in ODIs. Beating the top three teams in the 50-over format would be rewarded with a win bonus that will be 200 per cent of the match fees. The rate would be 150 per cent against team ranked fourth to seventh and 100 per cent against everyone else. The biggest bonanza would come when the team wins a major tournament. In case the team bags itself an ICC or an ACC trophy, their win bonus would be tripled, which the Urdu daily says is a record.
If the team loses a series, however, there would be no bonuses. Furthermore, the players will be paid daily allowances of Rs5,000 for every match played on home soil. On foreign tours, the daily allowance has been set at $114, whereas the number will be as high as $150 on tours of England. The captain, which as of now is Sarfaraz Ahmed, will be paid an entertainment allowance of $250 a week, while that figure for the vice-captain will be $100.
The PCB has also devised a formula to distribute any prize money earned by the team. The player of the match will be paid 25 per cent of the prize, with the remaining 75 per cent to be divided among the rest of the team and management. The player of match in Tests and ODIs will also be given Rs300,000, while the same honour in T20Is will fetch a reward of Rs150,000. The PCB will also pay the players their share in the earnings from the sponsorship logos. Players in A, B and C categories will be paid Rs450,000 for playing Test matches, whereas the sum for ODIs and T20Is will be half of that.—Agencies
