LAHORE: For the first time, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that it will offer separate Central Contracts to white and red ball cricketers.
Speaking at a press conference scheduled after the 69th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) held yesterday, PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja announced that the Board had made the necessary changes to its Central Contract policy and had decided offer players separate contracts for the cue ball. and red ball cricket.
“The thought process behind splitting the red and white ball contracts is to recognize the importance of white ball cricket in the growth and development of the game,” Ramiz said.
The chairman believed that the separation of the core contract for the white and red ball specialists will help management develop a dedicated team for each format, allowing the team to engage in limited overs and Test Cricket simultaneously.
“We have four international events in the next 16 months, including two World Cups. This recognition of offering contracts to white ball specialists will help us to eventually develop two separate squads, which could simultaneously take part in white and red ball cricket. This will also allow us to have a greater variety of talent to showcase to the world,” he stated.
PCB also increased the number of centrally contracted players from 20 to 33, while also increasing match fees by 10 percent across all formats. The match fee for the non-playing team member has also been increased to 70 percent from 50 percent of the general match fee.
The Board has also decided to introduce category ‘D’ into its core contract structure, which will be made up of players who are emerging, returning to or knocking on the doors of international cricket.
In the meantime, the team captain will be compensated with a captaincy assignment for any additional responsibilities he may have to take on.
In order to reduce the workload of elite players, the PCB has decided to allocate an amount to current players to compensate for the losses they have to incur from not playing franchise cricket.
“To discourage our elite players from signing up for additional events in the off-season, we have allocated a considerable amount of funding. This amount will be used to compensate them for their possible loss of income and will also manage their workload and ensure that they remain fit, fresh and ready when needed in national service,” said Ramiz.
In addition, central contracts for female players have also been revised, with the number of centrally contracted players increased from 20 to 25, and a 15 percent increase in retainers across all categories, with a single contract concept.
Meanwhile, he also announced the establishment of the ‘Pakistan Cricket Foundation’, a PCB initiative for the welfare of retired cricketers, match officials, scorers and ground staff with an allocation of Rs 100 crore as a donation.
Earlier, the PCB Board of Governors (BoG) meeting was held yesterday at the National High Performance Center (NHPC) under the chairmanship of the President, also attended by CEO Faisal Hasnain and COO Salman. Naseer.
The high-profile meeting discussed the essential issues related to Pakistani cricket and approved the annual budget for the fiscal year 2022-23.
READ: Ramiz Chairs the 69th PCB BoG Meeting at NHPC Today
