Abdul Razzaq, a former player of the Pakistan cricket team, recently shared information about the salaries cricketers earned during his time in the national team.
During a podcast interview, Razzaq was asked about his earnings from playing in leagues compared to representing Pakistan. He mentioned that he earned more from playing for the national team.
When asked about the payment received by national team players, Razzaq explained that when he started playing in 1996, there were frequent One Day International (ODI) matches. However, in 1999, players received Rs10,000 per match.
He added that the payment was significantly increased to Rs250,000 in the year 2000. Comparing it to Indian first-class cricket, he mentioned that Indian players earned around Rs100,000 to Rs150,000 per match, while Pakistani players received only Rs10,000 for international matches.
Razzaq remembered that during those days, the team played an average of 30 to 35 ODIs and 9 to 10 Test matches each year, and their earnings solely came from the Pakistan team. He also highlighted the respect they received as players.
He further noted that before 2001, there was no central contract system in place. However, they enjoyed playing cricket and had a good average. By the time Razzaq retired from international cricket in 2013, players were earning around Rs500,000 to Rs600,000 for ODIs, Rs1 million for Test matches, and Rs300,000 to Rs350,000 for T20 games. He mentioned that the amounts have since doubled or tripled.
Razzaq acknowledged that he had good sponsors and advertisements during his playing career, which provided additional income.
Currently, Razzaq is involved in coaching after representing Pakistan in 32 T20Is, 265 ODIs, and 46 Test matches throughout his career. Notably, he was part of the national team that won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2009.
