The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the eagerly awaited central contracts, featuring a significant 202% increase in the monthly retainers for top players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan.
As part of the new contracts, these three players, placed in category A, are set to receive Rs4.5 million per month($15,649.49), marking a more than fourfold raise from the previous year.
This agreement follows four months of negotiations between the PCB and the players and notably includes a share of Pakistan’s ICC (International Cricket Council) payout for the first time.
The PCB revealed, “PCB has successfully negotiated a three-year central contract deal with its senior players that will run from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026, in which 25 cricketers will be offered a deal.”
According to the contract, players are divided into four categories, with Babar, Rizwan, and Afridi in the highest category.
Category B includes Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, and Shadab Khan, with a reported salary of Rs3 million($10,433). Imad Wasim and Abdullah Shafique are placed in category C, earning Rs1.5 million($5,216.50).
Category D players, such as Fahim Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, and others, will receive Rs750,000($2,608) a month.
In addition, player match fees for Tests will increase by 50%, by 25% for one-day internationals, and by 12.5% for Twenty20 matches.
In a change from the previous year, red-ball and white-ball national contracts have been merged.
Players have also been granted the flexibility to participate in two foreign leagues each season, and the financial terms of the three-year contract will remain fixed, with player performance evaluations taking place every 12 months.
