PCB decides against cutting Pakistani cricket players’ salaries and shortening central contracts’ tenure

The three-year central contracts will now just last one year, as confirmed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who also declared that player payments will not be reduced in the process.

Reportedly, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, called a meeting in Lahore where the decision was reached. Notable attendees at the conference included Pakistan’s selectors Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq, white-ball coach Gary Kirsten, assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, and numerous other senior officials.

In view of Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, a conference was held. The board demanded a reorganisation of the regulations after the team lost matches against the United States and India due to their performance.

The Times of India cited a board official as saying, “The selectors have recommended no change in the financial part of the central contracts, which would now be revised into 12-month contracts with players’ fitness, behaviour, and form all to be assessed every 12 months.”

The players’ central contracts were given to them in 2023, but for the next three years, there was no certainty of terms or finances. The article further states that the PCB has required all players under contract to take part in fitness tests every three months, which are overseen by the two coaches.

In addition, everyone agreed to follow stringent technical specifications while assessing player applications for NOCs to participate in international leagues. The board’s primary goal will be to free up players for the national team.

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“Only (those) players with high fitness and performance criteria will receive NOCs, ensuring a high standard of representation in international leagues,” stated the official.

It was also decided at the conference that all players would have to participate in domestic cricket, and the selectors were advised to monitor domestic results prior to choosing the national team.